Ashamed of the way people commute on local trains: CJ

The division bench order highlighted the urgent need to address the high rate of fatalities among Mumbai suburban railway commuters, estimated to exceed 3,000 deaths annually

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Wednesday strongly criticised the precarious conditions faced by commuters on suburban trains in the city while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) on the high number of deaths among train commuters.

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“Sorry to use this word. I feel ashamed of the manner in which passengers are made to commute on local trains,” said chief justice (CJ) Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, who was part of division bench hearing the PIL with justice Amit Borkar.

Advocate Rohit Shah, representing the petitioner, informed the court that 2,590 commuters die on Western Railway tracks every year, primarily due to falling off trains and accidents while crossing railway tracks. He pointed out that Mumbai’s suburban railway network is the world’s second busiest railway system after Tokyo, with a death ratio of 33.8 per thousand commuters, compared to 2.66 in New York and 1.43 in London.

Shah argued that although air-conditioned (AC) trains with closed doors have been introduced, their capacity is limited and the cost of travel in such trains is high, which compels low-income groups to travel in non-AC trains.

In response, the counsel for Western Railway stated that the high court had issued certain directions regarding railway infrastructure in 2019, which had been complied with, and that all trains and tracks were being utilised at maximum capacity.

The bench was not satisfied with this response.

“If everything is done, then have you been able to stop the deaths on running trains or deaths on account of crossing the tracks? Have you stopped all that? We are going to make officers accountable. The situation in Bombay is pathetic,” said the bench.

“You can’t feel happy for proclaiming that you make 33 lakh people commute. You can’t say that considering the number of passengers, you are doing well. You can’t take refuge because there are large numbers of commuters. You must change your attitude and mindset,” the bench said.

The court ordered the general managers of Western and Central Railways to examine the issue raised in the petition and file a detailed affidavit in reply, sworn by higher-level officers nominated by general managers. The affidavits, personally vetted by general managers, should indicate current measures in place to prevent mishaps.

The bench said the court may also consider setting up a committee of commissioners to conduct a high-level study and suggest measures to address the issue of passenger deaths.

The division bench order highlighted the urgent need to address the high rate of fatalities among Mumbai suburban railway commuters, estimated to exceed 3,000 deaths annually. The case will be reviewed after eight weeks.