159 North Eastern Railway officers, employees awarded

GORAKHPUR: The 59th Railway Week prize distribution function was held at Syed Modi Railway Stadium on Tuesday. The event began with a colourful performance by the members of NE Railway Arts Society. The general manager of North Eastern Railway gave away medals, cash prizes and certificate of merit to 159 railway employees and officers. The awardees included trackman, pointsman, guard, station master, loco pilot, traffic inspector, train controller and sanitary staff.
The GM also gave away inter-divisional efficiency shields and awards in different categories. Overall inter-divisional efficiency shield was jointly bagged by Lucknow and Izatnagar divisions. Praising the NER's performance, general manager KK Atal said, "It is a matter of pride that safety record has been very good. Punctuality of trains has also considerably improved and gone up to 88.7%.
Keeping the convenience of passengers in view, 3,872 special trains were pressed into service and 8,644 additional coaches were attached in trains.
During financial year 2013-14, originating passenger earning was about Rs 1,366 crores, registering an increase of 22%, as compared to financial year 2012-13. Nearly 25 crore passengers travelled on this railway in 2013-14. Similarly, gross earning had also risen to Rs 1,693 crores, reflecting a growth of more than 20% in comparison to 2012-13.
Anita Atal, president, North Eastern Railway Women Welfare Organization (NERWWO) was also present on the occasion. The divisional railway managers, senior railway officers, employees and their family members were also present at the occasion.