RailEnquiry

In the wake of the recent incident of 28 devotees being run over by a train in Khagaria district, the East Central Railway (ECR) has decided to launch an awareness drive to dissuade people from walking on the tracks.   The drive will be carried out in all the five ECR divisions, Atul Pathak, IG-cum Chief Safety Commissioner of Railway Protection Force (RPF) told reporters.    ECR comprises Danapur, Samastipur (under which Dhamara ghat station falls), Mughalsarai, Dhanbad and Sonepur divisions.    ECR Chief Public Relations Officer Amitabh Prabhakar said the drive would be speeded up to dissuade people from hopping from one platform to another by using the tracks or walking on the tracks.    Pathak said besides prosecution, counselling of the people violating the rules would be done as part of the drive.    28 'kawarias' (devotees of Lord Shiva) were mowed down by Saharsa-Patna Rajya Rani express on Dhamara Ghat station while they were walking on the tracks to visit Katyani temple on the last Monday of the month of 'Shrawan'.    Despite frequent drives, trespassing, which is an act of offence under section 147 of The Railways Act has been rampant in the zone accounting for almost 45 per cent people undertaking a Railway journey, Pathak said.    The Act has a provision to impose a penalty of upto Rs 500 or seven days imprisonment for trespassing, the RPF IG said.

A total of 1,415 persons were sent to jail on the charge of trespassing in areas falling under the ECR in 2011, Pathak said.    

The figure increased to 1,808 in 2012 and in the first seven months of 2013, 702 persons have so far been sent to jail, he said.    

ECR with its headquarters at Hajipur realised over Rs 1.34 crore as penalty from people walking on the tracks in between 2011 and July 2013, the RPF IG added.    

Pathak said that RPF personnel have been told in all the divisions to be vigilant against trespassers to avoid Dhamara Ghat-type incident.    

On the instructions of Minister of State for Railway Adhir Ranjan Chaudhury, who had visited the mishap site, public address system has been installed at Dhamara Ghat station to warn passengers against trespassing and for conveying other necessary information, Prabhakar said.   

Crossing over from one platform to another through the tracks instead of using the over bridge is a common sight in Patna junction and other Railway stations in Bihar resulting in accidents.