Death track for line men
Vijay Upadhyay
Agra. Every profession has its associated hazards but for the railway line maintenance crew, everyday is a battle between life and death.
Three members of this crew have been mowed down by moving trains in the past five days while they were conducting maintenance jobs on the Agra-Jhansi and Agra-Delhi railway tracks on Saturday and Monday. The accidents have raised serious concerns about the safety of the railway crew which has to work, monitor and repair tracks that have constant stream of train traffic.
Dayal and Chhadami from the number 53 unit of Jhansi Railway division were run over by the Utkal Express on Saturday when they were working on a line fracture on a small bridge over a canal between the Agra Cantt and Bhadayi stations. The accident happened at about 11:30 am when the Chhattisgarh Express and the Utkal Express crossed each other on the track where the crew was working.
According to eye witnesses, upon seeing the Chhattisgarh Express approach them, the gangmen jumped away from the path of the train to the down track but they could not see the Utkal Express coming on this track from the opposite direction. Before they could get a chance to jump into the canal from the bridge and save their lives, they were run over by the train.
Even before the Railways could begin a formal investigation into these deaths, one more gangmen was struck down by the Goa Express on the Agra-Delhi track. The shocking accidents have raised genuine concern among the railway crew, particularly since the "noisy" nature of their work makes it very difficult for them to continually monitor both sides of the railway track while hammering away on the tracks. They complain that they are usually given no advance warning for approaching trains on the tracks they work; the train drivers too are not informed about maintenance work on tracks they may be running on.
Talking to The Pioneer, M Suresh, Divisional Railway Manager, Agra Railway Division, said the Railways exercised full caution to ensure the security of its track maintenance crew but it was primarily the responsibility of the maintenance crew to remain alert while working on the tracks. He said the three gangmen who were mowed down by trains on Saturday and Monday had failed to keep watch on approaching trains and this lack of alertness caused the mishaps. He said the families of the three deceased will be provided with suitable compensation as per Railway provisions.
Agra. Every profession has its associated hazards but for the railway line maintenance crew, everyday is a battle between life and death.
Three members of this crew have been mowed down by moving trains in the past five days while they were conducting maintenance jobs on the Agra-Jhansi and Agra-Delhi railway tracks on Saturday and Monday. The accidents have raised serious concerns about the safety of the railway crew which has to work, monitor and repair tracks that have constant stream of train traffic.
Dayal and Chhadami from the number 53 unit of Jhansi Railway division were run over by the Utkal Express on Saturday when they were working on a line fracture on a small bridge over a canal between the Agra Cantt and Bhadayi stations. The accident happened at about 11:30 am when the Chhattisgarh Express and the Utkal Express crossed each other on the track where the crew was working.
According to eye witnesses, upon seeing the Chhattisgarh Express approach them, the gangmen jumped away from the path of the train to the down track but they could not see the Utkal Express coming on this track from the opposite direction. Before they could get a chance to jump into the canal from the bridge and save their lives, they were run over by the train.
Even before the Railways could begin a formal investigation into these deaths, one more gangmen was struck down by the Goa Express on the Agra-Delhi track. The shocking accidents have raised genuine concern among the railway crew, particularly since the "noisy" nature of their work makes it very difficult for them to continually monitor both sides of the railway track while hammering away on the tracks. They complain that they are usually given no advance warning for approaching trains on the tracks they work; the train drivers too are not informed about maintenance work on tracks they may be running on.
Talking to The Pioneer, M Suresh, Divisional Railway Manager, Agra Railway Division, said the Railways exercised full caution to ensure the security of its track maintenance crew but it was primarily the responsibility of the maintenance crew to remain alert while working on the tracks. He said the three gangmen who were mowed down by trains on Saturday and Monday had failed to keep watch on approaching trains and this lack of alertness caused the mishaps. He said the families of the three deceased will be provided with suitable compensation as per Railway provisions.
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