“IN CASE OF EMERGENCY PULL
CHAIN” these words are familiar to regular commuters in the locals in Mumbai.
It is expected that the train will halt at the nearest station and the matter
investigated –which also could well be a matter of life and death. But this is
not what happened when a person in his teens fell off from the train between
Andheri and Jogeshwari. When the commuters tried to pull the chains – in fact
three different chains as the train did not show signs of slowing down- one
snapped as it was rusty.
The incident occurred around
8.30pm on Thursday 28th August, after the Andheri-Vasai local had
just departed from Andheri. A teenager standing on the footboard of the train
fell off the train just before Jogeshwari. Commuters started pulling the chain
to try and stop the train to save his life. When the chains were pulled, the
train did not show any signs of slowing down, instead it gained speed. One of
the chains snapped as it was rusted. The commuters then called the helpline
number and informed them about the incident. The motorman gave the emergency
chain pulling signal at Borivali, which was a good 15 minutes after the
incident. This could have caused the death of the individual. At Borivali
station, we don’t know his fate!
This is not an isolated incident
where the ineffectiveness of the chains has been pointed out. In the recent
past many incidents could have been avoided only if the chains were functioning
properly. Last month, in another incident, when a 20 year old girl fell off
between Khargar and Mansarovar stations of Harbour Line, commuters tried to
pull the chain, but the train did not stop.
These incidents point to a very
serious issue of safety and security in local trains. There are about 600
deaths caused by falling off trains – as reported by leading newspapers- every
year in Mumbai. Saving every life should matter to the authorities. Another
very serious issue is the safety and security of travelers late at night
especially in the women’s compartment. If there is a threat to them, their
first instinct would be to pull the chains and hope for help to arrive soon.
When they pull the chain and it breaks or if the motorman reacts 15 minutes
later – as it happened in the incident of the youth falling off - a lot of
damage will be done.
The railways must ensure that
their installed facilities are more functional before trying to hike the
railway fares to provide “better facilities” to commuters.
6 comments:
Its so scary.. The state of Mumbai railways is getting worse day by day...
Its something we see everyday n yet we are totally oblivious to the impact of defect... thanks for bringing it up... hope we can all take an initiative
And plz mention your name while posting
Hey,
It's really an eye-opener. I haven't encountered anything like this while traveling. Thanks for bringing it up Aniketh. What can we as a class do about it? Just from top of my head,Maybe we can go talk to the authorities and do something about it to figure out a way or make a social awareness campaign. What say? Any ideas?
Train safety is something I feel really strongly about!!! I am TERRIFIED when it comes to traveling on Indian trains. With the hike in prices and all, facilities need to improved, or if anything need to be functioning properly!!! So many people's lives are at stake.
I definitely agree with you there Tejasvi!! Was just about to post this. It's our responsibility I feel as citizens, and media trainees to not only bring awareness to this but DO SOMETHING about it.
For Media Mirror, train safety could be one of our campaigns. Speak to authorities, passengers, think of solutions, share them with others.
What more guys???
Train safety is something I feel really strongly about!!! I am TERRIFIED when it comes to traveling on Indian trains. With the hike in prices and all, facilities need to improved, or if anything need to be functioning properly!!! So many people's lives are at stake.
I definitely agree with you there Tejasvi!! Was just about to post this. It's our responsibility I feel as citizens, and media trainees to not only bring awareness to this but DO SOMETHING about it.
For Media Mirror, train safety could be one of our campaigns. Speak to authorities, passengers, think of solutions, share them with others.
What more guys???
Aniketh:
First, I am so happy that you responded immediately in the way you did. This is what we wish for all of you while in a course like SCM. Life continues while we may be in class, but true learning happens outside in our day-to-day lives. You obviously were very upset by this (you've repeated yourself in the post). Train travel and train safety is such an integral part of our lives in Mumbai. Like the others who have responded, I think it is a good idea to make this part of a campaign among the different projects you do as part of this course.
Cheers! Thanks n sorry for this late response.
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