Title - Konkan Railway gears up to tackle monsoon challenge

Panaji : With the onset of the monsoon, the Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) has put in place the necessary precautionary measures like completion of geo-safety works and manual patrolling to avoid accidents due to landslides. KRCL chief public relation officer Siddheshwar Telugu said that the geo-safety works on the critical stretches have been completed before the monsoons. The KRCL, which runs trains through three states – Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka, have posted watchmen at vulnerable locations like cuttings, bridges and embankments. The corporation is already patrolling unlined portion of the tunnels round the clock and throughout the year, Telugu said, adding that monsoon patrolling has been done and adequate stock of reserve material has been made available for tackling monsoon emergencies. KRCL is also liasoning with the concerned state government authorities so that release of excess water from reservoirs or dams or bunds does not affect the railway traffic. According to Telugu, the Konkan Railway would also implement a fresh time-table on the route to ensure smooth train operations during the rainy season. The spokesman said that the intensity of the rainfall is very high in the region. "The annual average rainfall is 3500 mm– 4500 mm with the intensity of the rainfall frequently exceeding 80mm per hour," he said. "The lateritic rocks, with the lethomargic clay combinations is having constant geological change and the experience has been that the deep cutting slopes become unstable under the heavy intense rainfall conditions." "A multi-disciplinary expert committee had been appointed to address the issue. Based on the recommendations of this committee, essential works have been identified and completed since the commissioning of the railway line," he said.