NCRB says 789 people fell to their deaths from trains or were hit by trains
Representational image
Hyderabad: Train mishaps claimed around 1,400 lives in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana last year. Falling from running trains, collisions at level crossings and derailments are the main reasons for this, says NCRB. The ghastly bus-train collision at the Masaipet railway crossing in Medak district which claimed 25 school children was the major accident reported in 2014.
NCRB says 789 people fell to their deaths from trains or were hit by trains. Accidents have risen steeply as many people cross railway tracks. “At several places there is no fencing. Many victims were walking along the track,” said a senior police officer from the Secunderabad railway division.
There are no warning boards or any other mechanism to warn people walking along tracks. In Hyderabad, the railway lines between Hafeezpet and Borabanda and Vidyanagar and Falaknuma were found to be the deadliest ones. Several people walk by these tracks where the frequency of MMTS trains and other trains are high.
Unmanned level crossings are another major reason for mishaps. The SCR has around 400 unmanned crossings. The Anil Kakodkar committee report on railway safety says that 36 per cent of the accidents occur at unmanned level crossings. “An analysis indicates that the period from 8 am to 7 pm is the most dangerous. Most accidents (86 per cent) occurred at this time."
The report pointed out that there is no safety audit by an independent agency. “Commissioners of Railway Safety have only a negligible role at the operational level,” the report said. The South Central Railway has not yet implemented most of the safety measures suggested by the committee.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
Next Story
