Train driver complains to authorities after finding gateman sleeping on duty

Nizamabad: The sheer callousness of a railway level-crossing gateman came to light after he planted a red flag on the track to stop trains and take a nap.

The incident occurred in Moshampur village in Sadashivanagar mandal in Nizamabad district. The incident came to light on Saturday after railway officials started an inquiry. It is obvious Indian Railway employees seem not to have learnt a lesson from the tragic accident, where 18 children were mowed down, when a train rammed into a school bus.

According to sources, Chandram, a gateman of a railway level-crossing near Moshampur village was asleep on Friday evening. Meanwhile, he kept a red flag on the railway track to stop trains. The Mirzapally-Bodhan passenger train was on its way to Bodhan and reached Moshampur crossing on Friday.

The train drivers stopped the train after noticing the red flag on the track. They found the gateman Chandram in deep slumber in his cabin. Due to this, the train was stopped for at least 10 minutes near Moshampur.

The drivers removed the red flag and after closing the gates proceeded to Moshampur.They immediately reported the incident to higher-ups.

When contacted, Uppalvai railway station manager Ravi, which is the nearest railway station to the Moshampur level crossing, said that they had submitted a report to higher officials.

The Mirzapally-Bodhan passenger train was stopped for few minutes due to the negligence of the gateman as he kept a red flag on the track and fell asleep, he said. Fortunately, no untoward incident occurred, he added.