More than 8,700 folks, a lot of them stated to be migrant employees, have been mowed down on railway tracks in 2020 regardless of passenger prepare providers being severely curtailed by the nationwide lockdown.
The Railway Board shared the info on the overall deaths between January and December 2020 in its reply to a query by Madhya Pradesh-based activist Chandra Shekhar Gaur underneath the Right to Information Act.
“Based on the information received from the State Police, 805 people suffered injuries and 8,733 people died on the railway track between January 2020 and December 2020,” the Railway Board stated.
Officials individually stated lots of the lifeless have been migrant employees who selected to stroll residence alongside the tracks as prepare routes are thought of shorter than roads or highways.
They stated the employees additionally selected the tracks to evade the police and never get misplaced halfway. “They also assumed that no trains would be running because of the lockdown,” one of many officers stated.
Railway Spokesperson DJ Narain stated that such incidents occur on the tracks “not due to accidents but because of trespassing”. “It’s a civic issue of concern. The Railways has always made huge efforts in sensitising trespassers to avoid walking on tracks. Around 70,000 km of rail tracks are spread across the country with over 17,000 trains of all kinds running on a daily basis. Deaths on tracks of trespassers is unfortunate and sad. Our concern on safety of passenger and citizens is second to none.”
“These kinds of accidents perhaps occur more on roads due to careless road-crossings,” Narain stated, claiming that there have been no casualties as a result of any “train accident” within the final two years.
While the fatalities throughout 2020 have been fewer in comparison with the 4 years instantly earlier than that, the numbers are nonetheless important given the truth that the passenger providers have been restricted after the lockdown was introduced on March 25.
Only freight trains have been in operation in the course of the lockdown earlier than the Railways began Shramik Special trains from May 1 to ferry migrant employees residence.
Passenger providers have been reopening in phases, and by December, round 1,100 particular trains have been in operation together with 110 common passenger trains.
The providers have now been restored to 70 per cent of the pre-Covid visitors.
While many fatalities on tracks final yr went unregistered, the deaths of 16 migrant employees after being run over by a freight prepare in Maharashtra’s Aurangabad final May rattled many. They have been resting on the tracks pondering no prepare can be operating as a result of Covid suspension.
According to Railways figures, compiled from state governments, 56,271 folks died and 5,938 have been injured in such incidents between 2016 and 2019. These deaths have been an growing development, with 2017 an exception.
As many 14,032 folks died in such accidents in 2016, 12,838 in 2017, 14,197 in 2018 and 15,204 in 2019, the figures confirmed.
However, the Railways don’t take into account these deaths “railway accidents”.
Railway’s dying statistics are maintained in three varieties — consequential accidents, trespassing and untoward incidents.
These deaths come underneath the class of “untoward incidents” or “trespassing”, and are investigated by the state police. The victims are additionally compensated by state governments involved.
The Railways has carried out large campaigns to scale back such deaths and likewise paid ex gratia to the kin of the sufferer on sympathetic grounds in some instances.
The measures taken by the Railways embody elimination of unmanned-level crossings over the broad gauge community, sign modernisation, the usage of trendy machines in upkeep, amongst others.
