Saturday, August 31, 2013

WR motorman stops train in the nick of time, saves depressed woman Scared because her parents wanted to take her to a psychiatrist, she ran away and jumped in front of a train


Mumbai Mirror Bureau mirrorfeedback@timesgroup.com TWEETS @_MumbaiMirror 


    An alert motorman saved the life of a 20-year-old woman who had jumped in front of a train at Mahalaxmi station on Friday morning. Shabra Banu, who suffers from depression, tried to commit suicide but survived with minor injuries after the motorman applied the brakes just in time. 
    “Shabra ran away from her Worli residence just before her parents were about to take her to a psychiatrist at Nagpada,” said Rajendra Trivedi, Government Railway Police (GRP) inspector, Mumbai Central. When her parents realised she was missing, they panicked and filed a missing complaint at Worli police station and searched for her everywhere. 
    Meanwhile, a scared Shabra made her way to Mahalaxmi station and jumped on to the tracks just as a Churchgate-bound train pulled in at 9.15 am. “The motorman promptly applied the emergency brakes and the train stopped even before it could reach her,” said a Western Railway (WR) official. 
    As a crowd gathered at the spot, Shabra became nervous and refused to speak. GRP personnel rushed her to Nair Hospital for treatment of bruises she had sustained. “At the hospital, Shabra went into a shell. A police team tried speaking to her, but she would just not tell us anything. As Shabra had no identification on her, we were clueless for several hours,” said Trivedi. 
    Later, after she had been given medication, Shabra regained composure and told GRP personnel her name and address, who then informed her parents. “We are lucky that she survived. We were praying that she was okay when we were informed about what happened,” said Shabra’s father Ishraul Haq Ansari. 
    According to Ansari, the family had spent the last few days convincing Shabra to meet the doctors at Daud Hospital in Nagpada. “She was scared of meeting doctors for an evaluation. We kept convincing her that it was for her own good. And just as we thought she was okay, Shabra ran away,” Ansari said, adding that his daughter, who is a Std 6 drop-out, would hardly venture out of home. Police are still trying to figure how she managed to make her way to Mahalaxmi station on her own. 
    At Nair Hospital, Shabra was treated on an OPD basis for her injuries and underwent an Xray and CT scan, which ruled out internal injuries. She was then sent home with her relatives. 
    WR officials could not be reached to confirm the identity of the motorman who saved her.

Shabra jumped on to the tracks just as a Churchgate-bound train pulled in at 9.15 am

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , ,

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Unsafe trains prompt governor to summon RPF, GRP top brass American’s Stolen Phone Not Yet Traced


Sanjeev Shivadekar TNN 


Mumbai: Governor K Sankaranarayanan summoned top officers of the two railway security agencies—Government Railway Police and Railway Protection Force—to Raj Bhavan on Tuesday, to know what was being done to curb crime on trains, especially to make trains safer for women. 
    Earlier this month, American national Michelle Marks was slashed and robbed in the first-class compartment of a running Western Railway local. A few weeks before that, a nurse was molested in a train at Mahalaxmi. 
    Raj Bhavan sources said the governor intends to write to the railway minister, asking him to immediately fill vacant positions in the RPF. 
    The Governor also exhorted the RPF to assist the GRP in providing night escorts in women’s coaches. Other instructions given to the two security forces were to create an atmosphere of safety on railway platforms and coaches so that commuters feel secure, besides taking preventive measures to free railway premises of petty criminals and beggars. 
    The Governor called the meeting after receiving a memorandum from a group of journalists, which sought safety measures in the wake of the Shakti Mills gangrape and the attack on Marks. Inspector-general Mahim Swami of the RPF (WR) said a crackdown on men travelling illegally in women’s compartments will start from Wednesday. “The operation will comprise a 100-member team and will be supervised by 15 inspectors and sub-inspectors. It will be conducted from late evening to early morning,” Swami told TOI. 
    The GRP is yet to trace Marks’ stolen iPhone. On Monday, the GRP arrested a drug addict, Rajkumar Tiwari, for the attack, who claimed he sold the phone to a drug peddler, Mehrunnisa. She in turn claimed it was stolen from a plastic bag in which she kept drugs at home. On Tuesday, Mehrunnisa was also arrested. 
June 2011 | A 25-year-old woman was molested in a local at Nerul at 5.10am. She ran to another coach at the next station. On reaching Thane, she approached RPF personnel, who allegedly made light of the issue. The HC took up a suo motu PIL on women’s safety 
April 2013 | Auditorium manager Vinay Parab was robbed at knifepoint in the firstclass compartment of a local at Mumbai Central at 12.45am. He claimed the GRP took time to register his complaint 
May 2013 | Delhi resident Preeti Rathi was attacked with acid as she got off the Garib Rath at Bandra Terminus. GRP arrested a youth but couldn’t get sufficient evidence against him. A month later, Rathi succumbed to her injuries


Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Man who slashed US citizen with blade on train nabbed


Virat A Singh mirrorfeedback@timesgroup.com TWEETS @_MumbaiMirror 


    The government railway police (GRP) on Monday arrested the 31-year-old man responsible for slashing a 25-year-old US resident on the neck in a running train on August 18. The accused was nabbed at Mumbai CST 
    Rajkumar Tiwari, a drug addict slashed Michele Marks on the neck with a blade on August 18, before snatching her cell phone and escaping. Marks was travelling in the first class compartment from a Borivali-bound local after attending a prayer meet at Colaba. 
    The GRP said Tiwari, a drug addict, has five cases of theft registered against him. He was externed by the railway police at CST on two previous occasions. 
    Tiwari was arrested by a special team, while they were carrying out a combing operation at CST station. They had rounded 20 drug addicts and suspects. 
    “Tiwari had some old injuries on his head, wrist and elbow. When we questioned him,he said he fell off a running train at Charni Road a week back,” said D D Wadmare, senior police inspector, railway police crime branch. 
    Wadmare added that the cops used this information and interrogated Tiwari, who finally confessed that he had assaulted Marks with a blade that he was carrying under his lips.“He said that he slashed her on the neck and jumped off the train with her mobile phone at Charni Road station,” added the cop. 
    B Shirsat, DCP, GRP (Western Railway) said that Tiwari, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, is a habitual offender. “He has sold the mobile phone to a woman named Benu, a drug peddler. She gave him Rs 300 and told him she would give him the remaining money later. We will arrest the woman soon,” he said. 
    Tiwari has been remanded in police custody till August 30. The GRP is investigating other crimes he may be involved in. “Marks is still under trauma.We will inform her and proceed with the necessary formalities,”Shirsat added. 
    The GRP, meanwhile, has started providing additional homeguards in ladies compartments, a senior official said. “However, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) needs to ensure that railway premises is free of drug addicts, beggars and urchins,” the official said. 
GUV TO DISCUSS VACANCIES IN RAILWAYS Meanwhile, Maharashtra governor K Sankaranarayan has called a meeting on Tuesday with top railway officials to discuss vacancies in the RPF and the need to fill them up. Currently, the stations are patrolled by the GRP. 
    Figures provided by the state show that there are 1,379 vacant posts in the RPF. The state has argued that the RPF, along with the GRP, should be held equally responsible in patrolling the stations.

Tiwari’s police remand ends on August 30
Posted by at No comments:

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Empty coaches, desolate spaces spook commuters

Bella Jaisinghani TNN 


Mumbai: The attack on American social worker Michelle Marks on a local train near Marine Lines when she was alone in a compartment has reinforced the fear in many commuters. Anxiety peaks on certain stretches of the local train network that are crime-prone, particularly among lone travellers. 
    Typically, the tracks are poorly lit in these areas. So once the sun sets, it is tough to spot an intruder before he gets in. And it is not just women who fear for their safety if a coach is empty, even men are on their guard. 
    The stretch between Mumbai Central and Churchgate on the Western 
line evokes fear in commuters headed towards town, particularly during non peak hours. The infamous attack on Jayabala Ashar took place here, as did the latest assault on Marks. 
    “On my night shift, I take the Churchgate fast local from Andheri after 5pm. The compartment is deserted after Dadar and Mumbai Central. I am often alone as few people are headed towards town at that hour. I am on edge during the last mile,” said Andheri resident Shreyasi Navare, who works at a printing press at Nariman Point. Commuters dread the unscheduled halts during a journey. 
    The Harbour line has its own creepy stretch between Masjid and Reay Road. “Young boys who perform stunts get into the women’s coaches and misbehave. It’s futile asking them to get off because they travel in groups every day and can retaliate,” said Sharda Solanki, a helper at a Sewri hospital. 
    The Central Railway line has its own problem spots like Byculla, Kurla, Ghatkopar and some beyond city limits that have witnessed their own share of unsavoury incidents. Often policemen on duty board the ladies coach at night from Masjid, leaving the dark stretch from CST to Masjid unattended.
Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Train runs over 37 pilgrims crossing tracks in Bihar Mob Thrashes Driver, Sets Bogies Ablaze


Bhuvaneshwar Prasad & N P Thakur TNN 


Saharsa/Khagaria (Bihar): 
At least 37 people were crushed to death and scores of others injured when the Saharsa-Patna Rajyarani Express barrelled in at about 80km an hour at the remote Dhamara Ghat railway station while the victims were crossing the tracks on Monday. The accident led to violent protests, with mobs brutally assaulting the train driver, setting over a dozen coaches afire, ransacking offices and holding railway staff hostage for several hours. 
    Most of the victims were pilgrims on their way to Katyayani temple of Lord Shiva, which is situated near the railway station, on the last Monday of the holy month of Shravan. 
    They had alighted from the Saharsa-Samastipur passenger and Jan Seva trains and were crossing the tracks to reach the platform on the other side when the speeding Rajyarani ploughed into them on the middle track at about 8.40am. 
    While nine of those killed by the train were women, four of them were children.Official blames pilgrims for ‘trespass’ 
Saharsa/Khagaria (Bihar): With violent protests making it difficult for relief and rescue teams to reach Dhamara Ghat station in Bihar following the mowing down of at least 37 pilgrims, bodies lay on the tracks for hours. The accident site is around 160km from Patna and accessible only by rail. Six seriously injured passengers were rushed to Khagaria Sadar hospital, while two were sent to Patna. Relief and medical teams were rushed from Barauni, Saharsa and Katihar. 
    Seething with rage, people burned down over 12 coaches, including two AC ones, and the engines of both Rajyarani Express and the Saharsa-Samastipur train. There was no one to douse the flames until 4pm, said a passenger. While the delay in the rehab efforts raised the hackles of the mob further, railway officials blamed the issue on the agitation. 
    Calling it a case of “trespass”, Railway Board chairman Arunendra Kumar said the pilgrims were illegally crossing the tracks. “Rajyarani Express ploughed into them as they were frenetically getting across the middle track at the station,” said Samastipur divisional railway manager Arun Malik, adding that Rajyarani had clearance as it did not have a stoppage at Dhamara Ghat. 
    The Bihar government has announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the kin of those killed. Chief minister Nitish Kumar said he had spoken to railway minister Mallikarjun Kharge and urged him to arrange more compensation from the railways. Kharge has reportedly promised to consider the demand. Agencies said Kharge has raised the compensation to Rs 5 lakh. 
    East Central Railway chief public relations officer Amitabh Prabhakar said the authorities had spoken to the district magistrate and the SP, both of who had to face public ire, and directed them to provide police reinforcement so that medical aid could be rushed to the injured before they could be shifted to hospitals. 
Kharge faces opposition fury in RS over accident New Delhi: Railway minister Mallikarjun Kharge had to face a tough time in Rajya Sabha on Monday while making a statement on the Bihar train tragedy. Kharge described the train mishap as an “incident” in his statement. He said that such tragedies were termed incidents under railway rules. A member said the compensation for victims of ‘incidents’ was less than in case of ‘accidents’ and it would not go on record while computing total number of train accidents. TNN



Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , ,

Monday, August 19, 2013

US national attacked, robbed in local train Victim was alone in women’s compartment when a man boarded the train, slashed her neck and fled with her phone

Virat A Singh @timesgroup.com TWEETS @ _mumbaimirror 


    Just how unsafe it is for a lone woman to travel on suburban trains in the city came to light once again when a 25-year-old US national was attacked on a Borivali-bound train on Sunday. 
    The victim, identified as Michelle Marks,had gone to visit Bombay Baptist Church at Colaba and was returning to Goregaon, where she is residing at present. She works for an anti-human trafficking NGO and had been living in India for the last almost 18 months. 
    Marks was travelling in the first class compartment reserved for women, and it being a Sunday, the compartment was empty. 
    When the train reached Marine Lines station, a man around 25 years of age got into the compartment and tried to snatch her bag and phone. When she resisted, he attacked her with a sharp object, probably a blade. He took swipes at her neck twice and even managed to injure her hand. The woman dropped her phone in panic and the accused fled with the phone. 
    The accused then got off at Charni Road station. Marks, whose neck had started bleeding by now, tried to get off at Grant Road station but missed it. 
    She then got off at Mumbai Central station, where a cop saw her and enquired about the matter. He then took her to Nair Hospital. 
    She had a deep gash on her neck and required five stitches. Though not critical, Marks was in a state of shock. She was discharged by evening. The church authorities and her family also rushed to the hospital but they were not willing to comment on the issue. 
    John Wilson, pastor of Bombay Baptist Church, said, “It is a shocking incidence for us. Luckily, she remembered the church landline number. Fortunately, she is not grievously injured.” 
    The Government Railway Police has registered a case of assault and causing grievous injuries. The victim said, “I have been staying here for so long. Nothing of this sort has ever happened to me before.” 
    Sherbanoo Bundeally, who was headed to Malad for some work and was getting in the train at Mumbai Central,said,“Ijustsawthatagirlwas being helped out a cop, who took her to the police station. She was bleeding profusely and was crying in pain and looking extremely scared. The other commuters in the coach told me that she was assaulted by a thief.” 
    Meanwhile, officials from GRP, are trying to first find out if the case fell under the jurisdiction of Mumbai Central police or Churchgate police. 
    “As of now, we have filed a case of robbery and causing grievous injury on an unidentified person. We have got a rough description of the person from the victim and have deployed a team to track the person,” said a senior official from the Churchgate GRP. 
A TRACK RECORD TO BE ASHAMED OF JUNE 2013: Yasmin Shaikh, a 23-year-old woman, was injured on board a Central Railway local after a youth hit her from outside the compartment in an attempt to make her loose her grip on her cellphone. The train was near Kopri bridge between Mulund and Thane stations. JULY 2013: A 23-year-old woman, who boarded a train at Mumbai Central station and was headed towards Dadar was attacked in the women’s compartment by a man who got into the compartment at Mahalaxmi station. He tried to strangulate her when she resisted his attempt to rape her.

Many incidents exposing lack of security for women travelling in suburban trains of Mumbai have come to the fore recently

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , ,

Sunday, August 18, 2013

TIMES IMPACT Cop suspended for not responding to woman’s call about flasher on train

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 


Mumbai: A woman constable was suspended after the Railway Protection Force (RPF) control room failed to respond to a call from a woman commuter who wanted to alert the cops about a man who was flashing on a running train on Western Railway on Friday morning. 
    The Government Railway Police finally arrested the accused Vinaykumar Singh 
(30), who is employed with WR as peon. The incident took place around 8am in a Churchgate-bound fast train. 
    Inspector general of police, Western Railway, Mahim Swami said, “I decided to suspend the constable concerned after a report in TOI alleged that the complainant’s call to the RPF control room on the day of the incident failed to elicit any response.” 
    Based on preliminary inquiry, WR has identified head constable Rekha Namdeo for alleged dereliction of duty. She was posted in the control room when the incident occurred. 
    Swami said, “The inquiry will be wrapped up in a couple of days. We have also requested the complainant to record her statement. If found guilty, the constable will be given exemplary punishment so that there is no repeat of such lapse in future.” 
    It is yet to be established whether the constable did not pick up the call at all or she failed to pass on the information after receiving the complaint. Swami said, “The inquiry is being conducted to find out the reasons.” 
    Railway activist Samir Zaveri said, “The RPF should dismiss the constable if she is found guilty. Stern action will ensure that others do not take their job lightly. Top officials should also regularly call up the control room to check the preparedness of the system.” 
    Security for woman commuters has been found lacking over the past few months on the suburban railway. On July 27, a nurse travelling alone was molested by a man in the compartment. The onduty GRP constable was suspended after he overslept and missed the train at Churchgate stion. 
    On August 13, an attempt was made by stunt-boys—all minors—to rob a journalist in a running train at 4pm. 
    Mira Road resident Shreya P said, “Railway authorities should consider installing CCTV cameras in ladies compartments like in the Delhi Metro and BEST buses.” 
THE INCIDENT The complainant, employed with a private firm in Lower Parel, had boarded the first class compartment of a Churchgate bound local at 7.58am at Mira Road. She noticed that the accused, travelling in the adjacent first class general compartment, was flashing while travelling on the train’s footboard. The complainant, who was also travelling on the footboard of the ladies first class, called the RPF control room. As there was no response, the complainant called up the GRP helpline. GRP personnel then nabbed the flasher at Dadar and took him to Mumbai Central. He was later transferred to the Borivli GRP, which has registered a case under Section 509 of IPC. 
THE ACTION TAKEN Head constable Rekha Namdeo has been placed under suspension pending completion of inquiry 
DIAL FOR HELP GRP Helpline | 
9833331111 RPF | 1311

The TOI report on August 17, 2013

Posted by at No comments:

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

3 stuntboys make robbery bid on train Target Woman In CST-Bound Local, Escape


Manthan K Mehta TNN 


Mumbai: Three unidentified boys tried to rob a woman journalist at knifepoint in a Harbour line train on Tuesday afternoon, after she warned them not to perform dangerous stunts. 
    “It was a traumatic experience; the image of one of the boys charging at me with a knife will haunt me for a long time. The boy brandishing the knife was barely 12 years old; the other two were 15 to 16 years old,” said Bhavna Sharma, who works with the regional press. She did not suffer any injuries. 
    Sharma boarded the firstclass ladies compartment of the 3.55pm CST-bound train from Wadala Road station. “There were two other women in the compartment, and they both got off at Cotton Green station,” she said. At Cotton Green, the three boys got in the compartment on noticing that Sharma was alone. “I was sitting near the window; they were standing on the footboard and dangerously hanging out of the train. I politely asked them to refrain from doing such stunts, but one of the boys said that they had enough experience of travelling like this,” she said. “As the stations passed, the boys kept staring at me. I overheard them planning to pull my gold chain. When they moved towards me to sit in front of me, I got scared. But I sternly told them to get off the next station and get into the adjoining men’s first-class compartment.” 
    Suddenly, one of the boys whipped out a knife and came charging towards Sharma. “I immediately removed my sandal to defend myself, and started screaming for help. A few youngsters in the adjoining men’s compartment heard me scream and rushed towards the partition between the two coaches. But the boys hid the knife and pretended like nothing had happened,” she said. They jumped off the train at Masjid station. 
    Sharma got off at CST and registered a complaint with the Government Railway Police (GRP). The CST GRP will forward the complaint to their counterparts in Wadala. “We will call Sharma to the police station on Wednesday, and then decide what action should be taken,” said Jitendra Rathod, senior inspector, Wadala GRP. 
    Alok Bohra, senior divisional security commissioner of the Mumbai division, said, “We will hand over the CCTV footages from all the stations between Wadala and Masjid to the GRP.”

1 Three boys enter ladies compartment of a CST-bound train at Cotton Green. Bhavna Sharma tells them not to hang out of train


2 She overhears the boys planning to rob her. As they move towards her, one of them whips out a knife


3 She removes her sandal and screams for help. Men in next compartment rush to the partition; the boys jump off at Masjid
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: ,

Monday, August 12, 2013

19- YR- OLD TRAVELLING ON TRAIN TOP ELECTROCUTED


IRAM SIDDIQUE


Train services were disrupted for over 30 minutes on tracks leading to CST

YET another act of needless daredevilry by a train commuter claimed a life on the city’s suburban rail network.

Shamsher Alam Abdul Shaikh was on his way to Haji Ali on top of a train to celebrate the third day after Eid, when he got electrocuted at Tilak Nagar railway station on Sunday afternoon. Train services were disrupted for over 30 minutes on the tracks leading to CST. The 19- year- old deceased was a resident of Shivaji Nagar in Govandi. He had climbed on to the roof of a CST- bound train, and got caught in the high- tension overhead wire, while his companions were traveling inside the train.

“ The train wasn’t crowded but these young boys want to perform stunts. Shaikh came in contact with a wire and fell on the pantograph which is attached to the heavy voltage equipment, and burnt his head,” said an official from Wadala police station.

Shaikh was taken to Sion hospital where he was declared dead before admission. There were flash burns across his body.

“ Shaikh was headed to Haji Ali with his four friends. He climbed up the compartment and sat on the roof of the train while his friends sat inside,” said Madni Mohammad, Shaikh’s neighbour.

Shaikh was the fourth amongst seven siblings and his father, Abdul Kudoos, is a cook by profession.

A daily train commuter, Wasim Sayyed, said, “ Even on a Sunday, trains on the Harbor line are crowded and boys generally travel on train tops. This is not a rare scenario and steps should be taken to prevent people from climbing on the roof of the train.”
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,

Stunt on train rooftop proves fatal for teen 60 Boys Caught For Dangerous Commute Since Fri


Somit Sen TNN 


Mumbai: A 19-year-old youth was electrocuted while performing stunts atop a suburban train near Tilak Nagar station on Sunday afternoon. Railway Protection Force (RPF) officials said this was the 61st incident of a train stunt since Friday. 
    The deceased, Shamsher Alam Sheikh, had climbed onto the roof of a Central Railway local along with two of his friends at Mankhurd, said eyewitnesses. Sheikh came in contact of a live overhead wire and was electrocuted on the stretch between Chembur and Tilak Nagar stations. He was brought down at Tilak Nagar station and taken to Sion Hospital where he was declared dead. He had sustained more than 80% burns, said sources. 
    Sheikh’s two friends disappeared into the crowd when the train stopped, eyewitnesses said. Harbour line services were delayed because of the incident and trains were running late by half an hour, sources said. Sheikh used to work as a tailor and was a resident of Shivaji Nagar, Govandi. 
    CR divisional manager Mukesh Nigam was travelling by the same train for an “inspection tour” of the Panvel-CST corridor. He was accompanied by senior divisional security commissioner Alok Bohra. The train had a huge posse of policemen in the firstclass compartment; the deceased had boarded a secondclass coach. 
    “It is unfortunate that youths still perform stunts and travel on rooftops for fun despite our repeated warnings,” said Nigam. 
    Commuters TOI spoke to after the incident said they had witnessed at least six children perform stunts on trains between Mankhurd and Reay Road on Sunday afternoon. 
    Bohra, who heads the RPF, said special squads had apprehended 60 boys, all aged between 12 and 16, for performing stunts on Friday and Saturday. 
    “Despite repeated warnings and counselling sessions, children, especially those from the slum pockets of Shivaji Nagar in Govandi, continue to risk their lives by performing stunts,” said Bohra. “Additional personnel will be deployed to visit every slum and conduct door-to-door interaction to dissuade people from travelling dangerously.” 
Delays, cancellations dog WR’s Sunday run W estern Railway commuters, especially those travelling from Vasai or Dahisar to Churchgate, faced inconvenience on Sunday afternoon. Trains were cancelled and were running late due to the ongoing megablock carried out between Borivli and Goregaon stations. TNN

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,

Friday, August 9, 2013

ANOTHER ONE SLIPS THROUGH THE GAPS AT MARINE LINES



ANURADHA VARANASI


Foot-long space between train and platform at the station yanks in 55- year- old BMC sweeper, who was rushed to GT Hospital with injuries to his head, knees and arms

BEwary of the death trap yawning wide between trains and platforms — it will swallow you right in your stride.

On the day 66- year- old Hansmukh Goda lost his life less than a week after falling in the gap between the train and platform 1 at Marine Lines station, the same space sucked in another person, a BMC employee, sending him to the hospital with grave injuries on his head.

According to eyewitnesses, around 11.30 am on Thursday, Ravindra Parmar (55) slipped through the fissure between the platform and his train as it started from the station.

“ The incident took place when he was trying to get inside the compartment. He slipped and fell through the wide gap.

Despite that, the train didn’t halt at the station,” said Shivaji Barge, a GRP official attached with the Western Railway, who rushed Parmar to GT Hospital in Fort.

Following an X- ray and CT scan, he was admitted to the hospital.

Parmar, a civic sweeper, was heading to Mahalaxmi when he lost his footing. “ He managed to survive because he fell and stayed between the platform and the tracks, which saved him from getting crushed under the rake. More than five coaches passed by him while he was stuck under the train,” added Barge.

Doctors said Parmar had sustained minor injuries to his knees and arms but his head injury was severe.

“ We suspect that he has sustained severe head injuries.

We’d be able to determine how grave the damage is after further investigations,” said a doctor at GT Hospital.

91 The number of people who have died by falling in the gaps between trains and platforms in the last 11 years in the city

Mind the gap

June 1: A 19- year- old girl fell at Elphinstone Road when she slipped between the gap at platform number 1. She was rushed to KEM Hospital but lost her legs.

June 4: A 24- year- old supermarket attendant got caught between the train and the platform at Rabale railway station on June 4. She succumbed to internal injuries and abrasions after being rushed to the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) Hospital in Vashi.

August 4: Police naik Babasaheb Bhandare fell into the gap between the train and the platform at Kasara station on Sunday night. He was rushed to hospital with grievous injuries but succumbed a few hours later

Senior citizen who fell in gap last week dies

Hansmukh Goda (66) who slipped into the gap between the platform and the train at Marine Lines station on August 2 — severing both his legs — lost his battle for life around 3.30 am yesterday, at Bombay Hospital in New Marine Lines.

Goda, who lost both his legs in the incident, was operated for over three hours on Tuesday. Although doctors had said that the odds of a successful surgery were slim, they proceeded with the operation since the infection from his legs would have spread all over his body. But an hour after the operation, Goda suffered a cardiac failure around 3.30 am on Thursday. A hospital authority said, “The infection had already spread in the body. And on account of excessive blood loss the heart stopped pumping.” Goda’s body was taken to GT Hospital for post- mortem.

“We have lost him but we wish that commuters are mindful of the huge gaps next to platform,” said his son- inlaw Bharat Dhamecha.

— NEHA LM TRIPATHI

Posted by at No comments:

Longer rakes & frequent services leave WR stretched Old Signal Poles Will Be Repositioned For 12-Car Rake


Manthan K Mehta TNN 


    Western Railway commuters have benefitted from measures 
like the introduction of 12-car rakes and increase in services over the years, but they say its punctuality has taken a beating in the process. 
    Officials too admitted that WR’s moves to increase its capacity, by switching from 9-car rakes to 12-car and 15-car ones and introducing more services, may have inadvertently slowed it down. The punctuality of its trains has come down from 97% to around 95% and nearly 50 to 60 services are behind schedule on an average every day. 
    “A signal turns from red to yellow to double yellow and green as a train moves from one signaling territory to another. But a 9-car train occupies lesser signaling territory compared to a 12- or 15-car train. In the present situation, some trains are unable to hit maximum speed as it takes longer to get a double yellow or green signal. When the motorman sees a yellow signal, he has to reduce the speed to 38 kmph,” a senior official explained. 
    The maximum speed on fast lines is 80 to 100 kmph, whereas it is atleast 50 to 60 kmph on slow lines if the signal is clear. Many services run behind schedule due to the extra time taken by the longer rakes to cross each signaling territory. However, it is difficult to recover the lost time with speed as the tracks are saturated due to the increase in services. Moreover, minor disruptions or trespassing incidents also delay trains. 
    In 2006-07, WR had 1,140 services, including 532 ninecar ones. After procuring newrakes, converting to AC traction and expansion of its rail corridor, WR now runs 1,305 services, of which 1,165 are 12-car and 30 are 15-car services. 
    “On an average, there is a 5-10 minute delay. But besides delays over signaling, the problem is also due to the retrofitted rakes, whose performance is below standard,” claimed a motorman. 
    “I board a train to Bhayander at 8.23pm from Dadar, but it never reaches its destination on time, halting intermittently between stations,” said Mira Road resident Vijay Pancholi. 
    “Most trains halt for at least four to six minutes between Dahisar and Borivli,” said Shailesh Goyal, former member of the Zonal Rail User Consultative Committee. 
    A senior railway official said, “Our first task is to re-position the signals to allow trains to run at maximum speed. The signal poles were installed keeping in mind 9-car services.” 
    WR has also decided to remodel the yard at Borivli and plans to improve its services with help from the Indian Institute of Technology-Powai. WR’s divisional manager Shailendra Kumar said, “We will take a number of steps to improve punctuality.” 
NINE TO TWELVE STRETCH 2006 
1,043 
services at 4 minutes per service 2013 
1,305 
services at 3 minutes per service AUTO-SIGNALING | Signals on WR automatically convert from red to yellow, double yellow and green once a train hits its track circuitTRACK CIRCUIT | It is an electrical circuit installed to know if a train is occupying the track in a particular section. It comprises a power supply at one end and a relay on the other end DISTANCE | Signal poles are installed at a distance of 400-500 meters, while the length of each coach is 22 meters. The change to 12-coach rakes means a train takes longer to hit its track circuit as the motorman often encounters a yellow signal which restricts him to a speed of 38kmph. This has a cascading effect on other services 
BORIVLI ISSUE At Borivli, Western Railway authorities plan to remodel the yard to allow the simultaneous entry of trains in the Churchgate direction on both platforms 5 and 6. Shifting the crossover further north will help resolve the problem. WR has requested the BMC for a small patch of land to carry out the modification

Posted by at No comments:

Monday, August 5, 2013

Women want ‘didigiri’ on trains to end Group from Kalyan says women from Karjat, Karasa, Assangaon block doors of trains from 8.52 am to 9.20 am


Aditya.Anand @timesgroup.com TWEETS @anandaditya 


Agroup of 40 women who commute from Kalyan to CST in the morning peak hours have sent a written complaint to the railways, alleging that women who board at stations such as Karjat, Kasara and Assangaon block the doors and prevent them from boarding trains at Kalyan between 8.52 am and 9.20 am. 
    They have demanded police presence in the compartments every day to ensure that this practice ends. The women decided to lodge a complaint following reports of three women being injured after falling off crowded trains in the past month. 
    The complaint, sent to the divisional railway manager, expresses their frustration at what is a long-running problem. “This is a daily feature. Women at stations between Kalyan and Thane find it almost impossible to board trains,” said Rekha Hodge, a signatory to the complaint. 
    “Women trying to board at Kopar, Dombivli, Thakurli and Mumbra are the worst hit,” Hodge said, adding that the majority of women who block the doors alight at Thane. The group has secured the signatures of 500 passengers with quarterly passes for their demand that Government Railway Police personnel by deployed in the ladies' compartments every morning.
    “We leave home having eaten just two chapattis. How can we push through these women without the help of the police,” Hodge asked. 
    Madhu Kotian of the Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh said, “There used to be unity among these women, who were responsible for many improvements in services. They maintained pressureontherailwaystointroduce 29 new services over the past year. They are now at loggerheads over boarding these very trains.” 
    “Over 4,500 passengers can be found in a nine-car rake during peak hours, as against the rated carrying capacity of 1,700,” according to activist Subhash Gupta. According to experts, overcrowding on Mumbai trains often results in a super-dense crush load (14 to 16 passengers per square metre). Trains on the suburban line are on average more than 4 minutes apart, which contributes to the problem of overcrowding. "Only introduction of new, higher-speed rakes can help address the issue,"said transport expert Ashok Datar.

Over 4,500 passengers can be found in a nine-car rake during peak hours
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)