Title - Pilgrims' untimely end : Ensure safety on rail tracks

THE death of a number of people, mostly Kanwarias, in a train accident at Dhamara Ghat in Khagaria district in Bihar has come as a shock. These people were hit by the Rajyarani Express. Even as the country mourns the loss of so many lives, the blame game has already started between the state government and the Railways. This is most unseemly.

It is ultimately the duty of the Indian Railways to ensure the safety not only of the passengers travelling in the trains, but also the general public which is using the facilities. Governments of the states through which the railway tracks run also must share the responsibility of handling crowds in or near railway properties, including railway stations. There is no doubt that religious occasions create situations where very large number of people congregate at specific locations. Proper coordination between the state authorities and the Railways is imperative. As regards this specific accident, a large congregation of pilgrims was expected at the Katayani temple. Only a failure at multiple levels allows such a situation to develop into a tragedy.

It is a sad reflection on the state of affairs in the nation that the authorities concerned have not learnt much from such incidents in the past. In February, a stampede at Allahabad railway station led to the death of 36 Kumbh Mela pilgrims. The Commission of Railway Safety's data reflects an average of 24 serious train accidents in a year. This leads to the death of 130 passengers annually. Then there are other accidents which involve people who are not passengers and their deaths are many more, an estimated 15,000. This is a shocking figure. Many of these deaths are at unmanned crossings and on open train tracks. Sometimes, they happen when trains plough into people standing on the tracks, like it apparently happened in Bihar. While it is true that people should not have been on the track, the authorities concerned and the driver should have taken prompt action to avoid the tragedy. The matter should now be thoroughly investigated with the objective of learning some lessons.