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Railway authorities’ ‘indifference’ persists even as mishap claims three move lives in Ludhiana
Railway police fails to keep check on illegal crossing of tracks in a accident-prone stretch between block hut Dholewal and Dhandari, Ludhiana
Despite three men getting mowed down by a passenger train on the railway tracks between Dhandari and Ludhiana stations near Dholewal Chowk on Sunday evening, residents in the nearby area continue to be spotted illegally crossing the tracks in a shocking absence of fear of any punitive action from the authorities.
Notably, the accident took place at railway km number 370, which is part of the most vulnerable railway stretch in the state as per a report submitted by former Government Railway Police (GRP) deputy superintendent of police (Ludhiana) Pardeep Singh Sandhu
The officer, in his state-level report, had declared the railway stretch from km number 369 to 374 — located between block hut Dholewal and Dhandari — as an accidental prone zone.
It is pertinent to mention that despite 39 railway accidents happening at the aforesaid stretch between January 1, 2022 till August 31, 2022, the Railway Protection Force (RPF), which is supposed to curb the illegal crossing of railway tracks, has seemingly turned a blind eye.
Of the total 42 people who have lost their lives on the stretch included 39 men, while the rest were children and women. In addition, three people have ended their lives on the tracks falling under the stretch.
As captured by the HT team, people could be seen fearlessly crossing the railway tracks even in the presence of senior RPF officials during Monday’s inspection in the aftermath of the three men losing their lives in the mishap a day prior.
It is important to note that the area experiences heavy footfalls due to the presence of a temporary market that has been set up near the spot close to the Ludhiana-New Delhi highway.
Sundays in particular, can get especially crowded with hundreds of locals crossing over the tracks to shop at the illegal make-shift market, which sells goods at cheaper prices.
RPF passes the buck
On being asked about the absence of any personnel to keep a check on an accident-prone zone, a senior RPF official passed the buck onto the local municipal corporation officials for not removing the illegal encroachment of temporary shops near the tracks, which the official said drew in the crowds.
“Due to limited force, it is not practical for us to stop hundreds of passersby at the spot every day. The MC should take some strict action against encroachment and Railways should do fencing or construct boundaries on the sides of the tracks to stop these people. Mostly, migrants reside in the areas nearby these tracks,” the RPF official, who did not wish to be named, said.
The incident
The GRP, meanwhile, identified the victims on Monday as Dinesh Kumar, 36, Chandar Bhan, 24, both from Uttar Pradesh; and Vakeel Pandit, 36, from Bihar. The bodies were handed over to the kin of the deceased.
The victims, according to the police, worked as labourers at local factories. The three men were mowed down by the Shmata VD Ktra to Kalka express train.
GRP officials said several people had gathered near the tracks en-route to the temporary market at the time of the accident. The victims were said to be crossing over despite the approaching train.
