E-Paper
Rail tracks turn killer: 20 lives lost in 18 days in Jalandhar
As many as 20 people, including nine who committed suicide, lost their life on railway lines in Jalandhar till Sunday this month.
As many as 20 people, including nine who committed suicide, lost their life on railway lines in Jalandhar till Sunday this month.
As per the figures obtained from the Government Railway Police (GRP), Jalandhar, 305 people lost their lives after being crushed by trains or committing suicide on railway tracks last year.
This year so far, around 125 people — 27 in January, 24 in February, 25 in March, 27 in April and 20 in May — have lost their lives while crossing the railway tracks or jumping before moving trains.
Sources said there was a proposal to construct boundary walls along railway tracks at certain sensitive points in the city, but nothing has been done in connection so far.
Even as there have been frequent accidents, the railway authority are apparently not bothered about this and doing nothing curb the menace.
On other hand, Government Railway Police (GRP) officials maintain that residents break boundary walls near the railway station and railway quarters and stolen bricks from them.
Then people started crossing the rail tracks from there despite there is a flyover, they added.
"We are taking all possible steps for reducing the number of suicides and accidents on railway tracks in the city. People also need to be more careful about their safety while crossing railway lines," station house officer Davinder
Singh said.
Station superintendent Shamsher Singh Walia said they were short of funds and they needed money to start work on building walls along rail tracks.
The railway station also lacks basic amenities such as ambulance, first-aid.
