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Commuters urge railways to act against train bullies
Commuters travelling beyond Kalyan have complained that train bullies do not allow them to alight or board at some stations.
Commuters travelling beyond Kalyan have complained that train bullies do not allow them to alight or board at some stations.
Some commuters block the train door, especially during peak hours, and do not allow others to get in or alight from trains. This leads to regular fights in trains.
Although commuters have been complaining to the railways about the problem, none of the steps has worked to curb the menace. The passengers’ association has again written about the issue to Railway Protection Force (RPF) Mumbai. It has demanded deployment of more security personnel to manage the crowd during peak hours in trains starting from Kasara and Karjat to CSMT.
“For the past many years, we have been repeatedly writing to the RPF. Commuters travelling to Kalyan, Dombivli, Diva, Mumbra and Kalwa during morning peak hours find it difficult to board trains originating from Badlapur, Kasara/Karjat, Ambernath, Titwala,” said Shyam Ubale, general secretary of Railway Passengers’ Association, Kalyan/Karjat/Kasara.
Commuters said that by the time trains reach Kalyan, they are packed, making it difficult for them to board. They said mostly it is one set of commuters who block the door, preventing others from getting in.
“Every day, there are fights in trains, especially in women compartments. Those who want to get down at Thane, stand near the footboard, blocking the door at stations such as Titwala and Vitthalwadi. Those who want to board train at Kalyan and Dombivli cannot get in,” said Supriya Jain, 33, a regular commuter from Kalyan to Kanjurmarg.
Commuters said hardly four people manage to board trains between Kopar and Kalwa. Some have no option but to hang at the door.
Ubale said maximum train bully incidents take place in women compartments.
“Even after giving the complaint to RPF, no effort has been taken to stop this. However, we have again requested them to look into this matter. We have requested for a meeting with the RPF official,” said Ubale.
Officials claimed they have already started awareness campaigns by making announcements at the busy stations.
“We have been asking commuters to not continue this practice as it is dangerous for travellers. We have put up banners at stations and are making announcements regularly. We have deployed security personnel near women’s compartments. Commuters too need to change their mindset and allow people to board and alight from locals,” said KK Ashraf, senior divisional security commissioner, Central Railway, Mumbai.
