Railway seeks new definition of an accident

Nov 18 2014 : Mirror (Mumbai) Yogesh Sadhwani TWEETS @yogeshsadhwani   Monika More's fall an accident or a consequence of carelessness? Three city MPs oppose an amendment to the Railways Act that will make it near impossible for victims to seek compensation Mumbai's parliamentarians have strongly objected to an amend ment proposed by the Centre in the Railways Act, which will make it virtually impossible for rail accident victims to get compensation.The proposed amendment seeks to change the meaning of an “accidental fall,“ besides putting the onus on the victim to prove that the accident was not a consequence of their “misadventures, carelessness, or negligence.“ If it passes, the amendment will have a huge impact on Mumbai, which has the largest suburban rail network in the country that ferries 7 million passengers daily and witnesses on an average 11 deaths a day. The amended Bill, introduced by the then Railway Minister DV Sadananda Gowda in the Lok Sabha for discussion on August 7, clearly states that passengers boarding or alighting moving trains or travelling on footboards should not be considered for compensation. Under the current Act, anyone who suffers an injury or dies in a rail accident is awarded compensation between Rs 80,000 to Rs 4 lakh by the Railway Tribunal. MPs from Mumbai are unhappy with the amendment, which provides for compensation for accidental falling of any passenger from a train but does not include “a passenger falling from a train while entering or leaving or attempting to enter or leave any carriage while the train is in motion... or while standing near the door or opens the door of any carriage while the train is in motion.“ Speaking to Mirror, MPs Kirit Somaiya, Gopal Shetty and Arvind Sawant said they have opposed the amendment on the floor of the house and will also oppose it in front of the parliamentary committee that is studying it. Besides these three MPs, several other elected representatives and activists have started writing to the committee hoping that their voices will prevail and the amendment would be withdrawn. The proposal adds that “most of the cases of `the accidental falling' arising out of falling down from train are because of negligence, carelessness and misadventure on the part of the passengers while entraining and detraining a moving train knowing that any accident may take place. However, railways are being made liable to pay compensation even when there is no fault on the part of railway.“ While the Bill is still with the Parliamentary Committee on Railway Act Amendment 2014, several activists and MPs have come out strongly opposing it. Advocate VS Chaugule, president of the Railway Accidents Victims' Association and also a practicing lawyer for past three decades at the railway tribunal said, “More than 95 per cent of the cases that come to the tribunal will get thrown out if the Bill comes through. The situation in suburban trains in Mumbai is different from other cities.Here trains are crowded and everybody is in a hurry to get to work. In the past, the Supreme Court and Bombay High Court have looked at this issue and ruled that such cases should get compensation. The only logic behind the Bill is to save money. We have made representations to Committee and other MPs to oppose the Bill.“ Kirit Somaiya, MP from Mumbai North East, besides raising concerns over the Bill added that victims should, in fact, be compensated faster. “Now that the Bill is with the Committee, I will make representations there to ensure that the amendment is not brought,“ said Somaiya, who has fought to get compensation for several accident victims. “If anything, there is a crying need to increase compensation and ensuring that it reaches the victim even when she is undergoing treatment. Most victims, for want of funds, end up losing out on proposer treatment after the accident.“ Arvind Sawant, MP from Mumbai South, too opposed the bill on the floor of the house.Saying he will oppose it in front of the committee also, Sawant said Mumbai is a strong case for why the amendment should not pass. “People are always in a hurry to get to work or home,“ said Sawant. “To earn their livelihood they travel by trains and end up getting hurt or even die. The amendment is certainly not acceptable.“ Echoing the views of the above two, Gopal Shetty, MP from Mumbai North, said the suburban rail network should be beefed up before even thinking of something like this. “Commuters in Mumbai risk their lives to get on to crowded suburban trains to get to work. While doing so if they are hurt, how can they be denied compensation?“

Passenger en route to funeral turns saviour for 3-year-old

Jyoti Punwani mirrorfeedback@timesgroup.com TWEETS @_MumbaiMirror 

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    Humanity is a strange thing. Once you realise your life has been saved, you want to save others, see them live.” Thus said Farooq Mapkar, a passenger of the ill-fated Diva-Sawantwadi passenger train, which derailed last Sunday morning. 
    Mapkar, 47, was going to his village in Chiplun and was lucky to escape with minor bruises. But all around him there were passengers trapped under others, or under parts of the broken train. 
    Mapkar could have simply picked himself up and walked away. Instead, he stayed on to see how he could help, and that led him to rescue three-yearold Samruddhi Nakti, and get her admitted to hospital with help from three good Samaritans, including the drivers of an autorickshaw and a six-seater who charged him no fare. That she would lose her leg later, was a tragedy he wasn’t to know then. 
    In the midst of the chaos that followed the accident between Nagothane and Roha on Sunday, Mapkar heard Samruddhi’s father repeatedly crying out: ‘Save my daughter’. “The father was crushed under someone else’s weight, but I found his daughter and managed to extricate her,” Mapkar said. Having gingerly puller her out from the train, Farooq loosely tied her leg which had broken, and then set off to find help. A family in a Maruti car stopped when he flagged them down, got off and allowed their driver to take Mapkar and the girl to the nearest station, Nagothane. 
    From there, Mapkar found a six-seater whose driver took him and the girl to Roha bus stand. There, an auto driver took him to the nearest private hospital in Roha. 
    “The doctor there immediately attended to her, but it was obvious he didn’t have all the facilities he needed,” said Mapkar. By then, more patients began to arrive, and the doctor requested Mapkar to take two other patients too in a charitable Shiv Sena ambulance to the nearest government hospital in Alibag. 
    “Mywallethadfallenoffsomewhereintheaccident, I had neither money nor my ticket with me,” said Mapkar. The doctor offered him Rs 2,000, which Mapkar refused. He then took Samruddhi, and the other two patients, a teenage girl and man named Chavan, to the Civil Hospital in Alibag. Chavan, however, did not make it. 
    But it was three-year-old Samruddhi’s courage that amazed Mapkar. “She must have been in great pain, but she uttered not a word. She sat on my lap quietly, giving me no trouble,” Mapkar said. He stayed with her till she was admitted to the Alibag hospital, and then left for his home. Ironically, he had been heading to his uncle’s funeral, but ended up saving others. 
    Samruddhi was later transferred to Sion hospital, where her leg had to be amputated. Her father has also been admitted there, but doesn’t know of the tragedy that has befallen his daughter, nor does he know his wife died in the mishap. Samruddhi's elder sister is undergoing treatment in a Vashi hospital. 
    Mapkar discounts the theory that a defect in the trackcausedtheaccident.Accordingtohim,theDiwa-Sawantwadi passenger is always late and always packed. It also has to make way for an express train that follows. Hence the Diwa-Sawantwadi loco pilots tend to drive at breakneck speed to make up for lost time. “If the Railways ensure that the passenger train runs on time, such mishaps wouldn’t occur,” Mapkar said. He also feels that the Railways should not insist on accident victims producing their ticketstoclaimcompensation,asticketscangetlostina mishap, as his did. 
    Incidentally, Mapkar had cheated death once before — in the 1992-93 post-Babri Masjid demolitionriots.Hewasshotintheshoulderfromtheback as he knelt to pray in Wadala’s Hari Masjid on January10, 1993. Six persons died in the police firing that day, four of them inside the mosque. Justice B N Srikrishna recommended strict action against then Assistant Sub-Inspector Nikhil Kapse, but the government refused to act. Mapkar successfully petitioned a court to order a CBI inquiry, but the CBI too exonerated Kapse. Mapkar has challenged that finding.

Mapkar took Samruddhi to hospital. That she lost leg later was a tragedy he wasn’t to know then

Railways not keen on getting back Matheran’s first ever locomotive

Rajendra B Aklekar @timesgroup.com TWEETS @rajtoday  http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=MIRRORNEW&BaseHref=MMIR/2014/04/15&PageLabel=10&EntityId=Ar01002&ViewMode=HTML     The Indian Railways on Monday said they are not interested in buying one of the first four original steam locomotives of the heritage Matheran Light Railway (MLR) which have been put up on sale by the Railworld Museum at Peterborough, UK. The MLR 740 has been in the museum for the past thirty years.      On April 10, Mirror had reported that the present-day generation of Sir AdamjeePeerbhoy,whobuilttheNeral-Matheran railway route over a century ago, wanted the railways and the government to bring back an original locomotivethatoperatedontheMLR.      “We will not be interested in buying the engine as we already several of a similar type here,” Subodh Jain, railway board member (engineering), told Mumbai Mirror.      The present-day generation of the Peerbhoy family was not happy with the railways’ decision. “First of all, the locomotive should not have gone out of India. But now that it is up for sale, it needs to be brought back by the railways,” said Ali Akbar Adamjee Peerbhoy, the second great grandson of Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy.      “The locos had been bought by the Peerbhoy family, how could the Indian Railways give it out to another country? If I remember correctly, the engine had been put up on display outside CST, then one day it was removed,” Ali Akbar added.      The MLR 740 was donated to Britain by the Indian government in 1985 in recognition of services towards the establishment of India’s National Railway Museum. The engine was acquired by the Amberley Chalk Pits Museum and arrived in UK on November 28, 1986. It was donated to Railworld Museum in 1991.      Sources said the four novel steam locomotives had been bought specially for the mountainous stretch from Messrs. Orienstein & Koppel, Germany, in 1907. They were made especially for the narrow curves and steep climbs of the Matheran hills.      Of the original four engines – MLR 738, MLR 739, MLR 740, MLR 741 --that survive today, MLR 740 has been in the UK for the last three decades. The Railworld Museum said that the locomotive will be sold to someone with the resources and commitment to restore and operate the Berlin-built locomotive with access to the public. The sale is being managed on behalf of the trustees by The International Railway Preservation Society (IRPS). The engine arriving in Peterborough The century-old engine has been in the UK for the past 30 years

‘Address proof for all season tickets will lead to delays, fights’

Virat A Singh virat.singh@timesgroup.com TWEET @singhvirat246 

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    Adirective from Railway Board, asking both the Western and Central Railway to start noting down the addresses of commuters who buy season passes, is likely to lengthen queues and lead to other complications at ticket counters. 
    While the directive was come into effect from April, it is being implemented gradually across railway stationsonboththeWesternandCentralRailway.Sources said WR has been trying to convey to the Railway Board that the new requirement will lead to many complications. 
    A senior railway official said the directive was the outcome of an order of the Allahabad High Court to ensure that officials in all railway zones note down the addresses of commuters when issuing new season tickets or renewing old ones. He said, “The Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), which handles the systems, first said that there was not enough space on season passes to display commuters' addresses. It then made arrangements to do so, but said the system will not be able to handle long addresses and that booking clerk will have to note down such addresses on paper when issuing season tickets." The official added that of the 70 lakh WR and CR commuters, around 48 lakh are season ticet holders. 
    AWR official said that apart from the delays, the system will be impossible to implement in Mumbai owing to its large migrant population. “We are still not completely clear on what kind of address proof will be accepted. Booking clerks have already started telling us they do not want to fight with commuters over this and hence we have asked our senior officials to implement the new system only after there is clarity on this. Otherwise there could be huge fights at booking counters,” warned the official. 
    Meanwhile, booking clerks are already wary of the new system, saying that noting down the address of every season ticket holder will cause huge delays. Under the current system, an ID card is issued to season ticket holders, on which they are expected to write their addresses. 
    “We try to issue at least three tickets per minute and still there are long queues. If we have to note down addresses as well, it will take even more time and people in queue will get agitated,” said a booking clerk, who did not wish to be named. 
    A CR official, however, said the delays caused by the newsystemwillbetemporary.“Foreveryaddressadded to the database, a will be code generated, and from the nexttimeonwards,therewillbenoneedforcommuters tofurnishingtheiraddressproof.Weshouldalsoseethe positive aspects,” said the official.

Alarmed by frequent instances of signal jumping and trains overshooting platforms WR seeks TLC at home for its tired motormen DRM appeals to motormen’s families to not saddle his employees with domestic chores. Angry motormen say he is ignoring real issues that cause stress

Rajendra.Aklekar@timesgroup.com TWEETS @_MumbaiMirror 

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    The Western Railway’s suburban section has earned the dubious distinction of reporting the highest number of cases of signal jumping and trains overshooting platforms, a clear sign of plummeting safety standards. And WR bosses have been quick to put a finger on the root cause of this problem – lack of tender love and care for motormen when they return home stressed after a day’s work. 
    In a move that has angered motormen, Divisional Railway Manager Shailendra Kumar has issued an appeal to motormen’s families to not burden his employees with household chores so that they are able to rest well and return to work reinvigorated. The appeal, copies of which have been put up in the motormen’s lobby at Churchgate, also urges motormen’s families to create a healthy atmosphere at home, conducive to relaxation. 
    The Western Railway Motormen’s Association (WRMA), which is now in the process of sending its reply to the appeal, has objected to the divisional railway manager linking WR’s safety record to the motormen’s domestic lives. TheWMAhasalsotakenexceptiontotheboss’s expectation that they should ignore their families to improve performance at work. 
    The WMA, in its reply to the appeal, will list the ‘real’ factors responsible for the slipping safety record, as also the working conditions that leave the motormen and other running staff like guards and long-distance train drivers stressed. “It’s ridiculous that now our families are being blamed for Western Railway’s slipping safety performance. In which other line of workareemployeesadvisedtoignoretheirfamilies?Canthesameyardstickapplytooursenior officers,” asked a motorman who did not wish to be identified. 
    Motormen said that its work pressure and the long hours working hours that contribute to stress and lead to cases of signal jumping and trains overshooting platforms. “We have been demanding an assistant driver for each train for quite some time now. The responsibility of a jam-packed train on a single person is too heavy.” 
    What has rattled the divisional manager is the fact that that the 12 instances of ‘signal jumping’ in WR’s suburban section in 2013-14 is the highest in India across the railway’s all four divisions. “It is a worrying statistic, no doubt about it. But our families are not responsible for this. It’s the working conditions that causestress.Don’tweallworksothatweareable to look after our families well,” asked another motorman. 
    The motormen have also been upset by a veiled threat in the appeal. The note says that the safety violations committed by the motormen lead to disciplinary action against the motormen and this can impact the entire family. 
    In a retaliatory strike, the motormen have decided to get their wives to write to the divisional railway manager with their views on his appeal. 
    When Mumbai Mirror contacted the divisional railway manager on Friday, he refused to commentontheappeal.Hesaidhedidnotwish to say anything as the appeal is self-explanatory.

The DRM’s appeal urging family members to not involve motormen in domestic routines

Matheran’s first ever locomotive up for sale, family wants govt to bid The family of Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy, who built the Neral-Matheran railway route over a century ago, have said that they want the inaugural engine, which is in the UK, back

Rajendra B Aklekar rajendra.aklekar@timesgroup.com TWEETS @rajtoday 

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    The present-day generation of Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy, who built the Neral-Matheran railway route over a century ago, want the Indian Railways and the government to make an effort to bring back an original locomotive that operated on the heritage Matheran Light Railway. 
    The steam locomotive — one of the original four — has been in the UK for the past 30 years, and has now been put up for sale by the Railworld Museum at Peterborough, England. 
    While no reserve price has been set for the loco, the sale will be executedviainformaltenders,thedeadline for submission of which is June 30. Railworld Museum says the sale willbetoanewownerwhohastheresources and the commitment to restore and operate the Berlin-built locomotive and provide access to the public. The sale is being managed on behalf of the trustees by The International Railway Preservation Society. 
    Sources said there were four novel steam locomotives that the Peerbhoy family had bought specially for the mountainous stretch from MessrsOrienstein&Koppel,Germany. These were specifically built for the narrow curves and steep climbs of the Matheran hills. Of the original four engines — MLR 738 is stationed at Neral and is still used occasionally on the route for special tours, MLR 739 is at National Railway Museum in New Delhi, MLR 741 stands outside Matheran station, while MLR 740 is the one in UK. 
    Built in 1907, the 19.97-km stretchbetweenNeralandMatheran in Raigad district of Maharashtra has been included by UNESCO in its tentative heritage list among mountain railways of India. 
    “The Neral-Matheran railway is our family’s creation and we would like the government to honour Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy by getting this original locomotive back to India,” said Ali Akbar Adamjee Peerbhoy, a great-grandsonofthePeerbhoyfamily, who shuttle between Matheran andClareRoadatBycullawherethey live. 
    Comprising two sisters, Fatima and Zainab, and three sons, Husain, Ali Akbar and Ali Asgar, the family own the Khatija Resorts at Matheran,runacharityinSaurashtra,anda school near Neral. 
    They also resent the attitude of the authorities towards the quaint railwayanditsfounder.“EventhelocomotivethatstandsoutsideMatheran station today does not bear the Peerbhoy name. The Railways should at least install an adequate plaque at the site,” Ali Akbar added. 
    When Mirror contacted Indian Railways Executive Director (Heritage) Manu Goel, he said he was yet tohearabouttheupcomingsale,and wouldhavetoinquireaboutitbefore commenting. 
    Meanwhile, Phil Marshall of the International Railway Preservation Society, said, The locomotive is currently dismantled and in secure storage following a comprehensive condition survey by a third party. The boiler report and basic mechanical assessment are available to interested parties, and inspections of the locomotive can be arranged.” 
    Asked about the expected price, Marshall said, “As the sale evoked considerable interest, we decided not to set a reserve price. We want to ensure that the loco is restored and that the public will have access to it. Assuch,wewillalsotakeintoconsideration the future uses of the loco.” 
    Echoing the Peerbhoy family’s sentiments is Prof Dr Balkrishna Bhosaleofthesociologydepartment of Mumbai University, who is writing a book on the history of Matheran and its railway. “This is the chance…. we should buy the locomotive and restore it. It’s a matter of shamethatthelocomotiveisoutside India. The Indian Railways must make a bid for it,” Prof Bhosale said. 
    Built in 1907, the locos were very successful and the fleet of four worked the line exclusively until the introduction of diesel engines in 1965. Thereafter, the steam locomotives continued in service for some time, until they were withdrawn in 1982. 
    The MLR 740 was donated to Britain by the Government of India in 1985 in recognition of services towards the establishment of India’s National Railway Museum. The engine was acquired by the Amberley Chalk Pits Museum and arrived in UKonNovember28,1986.Itwasdonated to Railworld Museum, Peterborough, in 1991.

The century-old engine has been in the UK for the past 30 years

Teen killed, 23 hurt as CR local derails

Pradeep Gupta & Manthan K Mehta TNN 

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Mumbai: A 19-year-old HSC student died while 23 others were injured, three of them seriously, when a CST-bound local train from Kasara derailed near Titwala station on Thursday afternoon. Though the cause of the accident could not be immediately ascertained, it is believed to have been caused either due to decoupling of coaches or track-related failure. 
    The accident took place at around 2.40pm near pole number 61/37, between Ambivli and Titwala, when the local coming from Kasara derailed and six of its coaches moved around 500 metres from the rest of the train. A senior official said, “Either derailment led to the de-coupling of coaches or the decoupling may have caused the derailment. Neither possibility can be ruled out till a probe is carried out.” A statutory inquiry will be held by the commissioner of railway safety (central circle). 
    The accident’s only casualty, Ghatkopar resident Dhaval Lodaya, had just appeared for his HSC exam. He had gone to the Manas Jain temple at Asangaon with four friends after the exam and was on his way back when tragedy struck. 
    GRP sub-inspector Nilesh Vaze said the injured were initially admitted to Rukminibai Hospital and Railway Hospital. ‘Decoupling unlikely to have caused derailment’ 
    Railway officials said decoupling of coaches didn’t seem to be a plausible reason for Thursday’s train derailment near Titwala which killed a 19-year-old and injured 23 others, including the train’s guard. 
    Officials pointed out tha coaches 6 to 10 had derailed, while it was the coupling of coaches 7 and 8 that was found to be broken. “Coaches which get decoupled do not get derailed, it is coaches behind them which are usually affected,” and official said. 
    Central Railway’s general manager S K Sood reiterated the view. “I do no think that decoupling could have been reason, but it is difficult to ascertain the cause as this stage,” he said. Local railway officials said some track repair work had been carried out earlier in the day. But Sood said, “No major work was carried out on the track which could have led to such an incident.” 
    According to the Kalyan GRP team that is probing the incident, after the train derailed, those standing on the footboard fell down on impact and suffered injuries. Officials said the train may have been traveling at a speed of 60-70 kmph hour when it jumped tracks. 
    Among those seriously injured in the derailment was the guard, R N Dubey (48). Two commuters who too suffered major injuries were moved to Sion Hospital. Three commuters were discharged from hospitals after initial treatment. 
    A CR official said, “Traffic on the Up and Down directions was suspended till late in the evening as the derailed coach had infringed on the Down tracks too. Shuttle services were operating between Titwala and Kasara and Amibivli to Kalyan. Moreover, two long-distance trains were held up.” 
INVESTIGATION ORDERED 
    Local railway officials claimed some track repair work had been carried out on Thursday. But senior CR officials said no major work was carried out on the track which could have caused such an incident 
    Officials said decoupling didn’t seem plausible as coaches 6 to 10 were derailed, while the coupling of coaches 7 and 8 was broken. They said coaches which get decoupled do not get derailed, but it is coaches behind them are affected. A probe has been ordered

It is still unclear if the coaches of the CST-bound local decoupled after jumping tracks near Titwala or if the decoupling led to derailment

VICTIM | DHAVAL LODAYA (19) | A resident of Ghatkopar, Dhaval recently appeared for his HSC exams. After completing his last exam, Lodaya went with four family friends to Manas Jain Mandir in Aasangaon and was on his way back home on Thursday when he died in the mishap

WR, CR get rly board nod to raise plaform height

Manthan K Mehta TNN 

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Mumbai: Western and Central Railway will soon be able to raise the height of platforms to 920 mm as the railway board has issued a formal communication allowing the authorities to undertake the work. 
    WR said it will carry out the work in phases. “In the first phase, 34 platforms that are below 840 mm in height will be targeted. The work can be completed by July 2015,” an official said. 
    On Central Railway, there are 80 platforms across the main and harbour line that are below 840 mm in height. CR hopes to complete the work in two-three years. 
    Railways said that the gap has increased because the MRVC rakes have sturdier air springs and do not get pressed down. 
    The February 19 letter issued by the executive director, civil engineering (railway board) states, “The board has approved raising of height of the suburban platforms from the existing range of 760 mm-840 mm to the revised range of 840 mm-920mm.” 
    The board said the railways have to ensure improved maintenance practice and monitoring of rolling stock and tracks. It further advised the Research, Standards and Design Organization (RDSO) to examine and incorporate a suitable clause in the Indian Railways Schedule of Dimension (IRSOD) to raise the maximum height of suburban platform to 920 mm. IRSOD indicates an obstruction-free zone within which the railway coach, wagon or engines move during travel. A railway official said, “Since the RDSO approval is pending, we have to approach the board to invoke a condonation clause for each platform, whose height will have to be increased above 840 mm.” 
    A condonation clause allows the railways to bypass IRSOD if safety does not get compromised.

Stretcher shortage adds to train fall victim’s woes

Nitasha Natu TNN  http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIM/2014/02/21&PageLabel=4&EntityId=Ar00404&ViewMode=HTML Mumbai: Overcrowding in a Western Railway local caused a 31-year-old man to fall off between Malad and Kandivli stations recently, severely injuring his brain and face. Worse, the railway police could attend to him only after they dealt with another mishap on the same stretch as they had a single stretcher. Pradeep Ghadshi, the victim, underwent a neurosurgery at the Hiranandani Hospital and continues to remain critical.      A Virar resident, Ghadshi works with a firm in Malad and had tied the knot recently. On Tuesday, Ghadshi boarded a Virar local around 7.20pm. “Ghadshi tried to makehiswayin,butcommuters waiting to get off at Kandivli station blocked his path,” said a colleague, Nancy Nagwekar. Ghadshi saw an ex-colleague, Arvind Rane, in the compartment and shouted that he was likely to fall. Moments later, he fell near Kandivli.      Rane got off at Kandivli station and rushed to inform the station master. It took time to trace Ghadshi as the area was covered with tall grass. Meanwhile, another commuter hadbeen knocked down by a train. “The cops just had one stretcher. They pickedup the victim on track no 4, cleared the line for trains to run, and then rescued Ghadshi. He was taken to Shatabdi Hospital,” said Nagwekar.      The hospital had no CT scan facility. Ghadshi had sustained massive facial injuries with broken jaws, several missing teeth, shoulder fractures and head injuries. Doctors are waiting for him to recover from the brain injury before going in for more surgeries. Ghadshi’s family isfinding ittoughto accumulate Rs 7 to 8 lakh for his surgeries.      In a separate mishap on Wednesday, a vendor from MP, Narayan Singh, sustained serious injuries after he fell while trying to board a long-distance train at Andheri. GRP officials said Singh hadboardedtheBandra-Amritsar Paschim Express and got off at Andheri station around 11.50am. When the train started moving, he tried to get back on it and fell off. Singh is unconscious and is recuperating at Nair Hospital. Pradeep Ghadshi before & after the mishap at Kandivli station

Alighting from train during brief halt costs youth his life Rly Employee Comes Under Train In Bid To Board It Again

Nitasha Natu TNN 

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Mumbai: Six people died in separate train-related incidents in the city on Monday. Around 2.30pm, a 22-year-old canine trainer, Sudhir Giradkar, fell off a fast local between Sion and Kurla while on his way from his Thane residence to Byculla. 
    GRP officials said he had sustained injuries to his ribs and was pronounced dead at Sion Hospital. On going through his phone log, the GRP found his family’s contact numbers in Nagpur and informed them. 
    Just 15 minutes before the incident, a suspected Nepal national had a fatal fall off a local in the same Sion-Kurla stretch. He had sustained head injuries and could not be identified. Officials said he was travelling in a Down local. 
    Ashish Singh, a railway employee, slipped into the gap between the platform and the August Kranti Rajdhani Express at Andheri station in the evening. 
    The 25-year-old was a hotel management grad and a new recruit with the IRCTC. 
    Singh, who worked as an assistant catering manager and was on duty on the train, got off to buy something when the train halted briefly at Andheri around 6pm. 
    When the train started to roll out, he sprinted to board it again but lost his footing and slipped under the train as it picked up speed. The train ran over his abdomen. 
    Singh was declared dead at Cooper Hospital, a senior GRP official said. 
    Collegian Rupesh Chauhan, whose right arm was amputated above the elbow after his accident on Thursday, was reportedly critical since his admission to St George’s Hospital. 
    Meanwhile, Chauhan, who had also suffered a serious head injury, had been puton ventilator in the ICU. 
    The UP native’s blood pressure kept dropping continuously, said hospital medical superintendant Dr Jagdish Bhavani. 
    Officials from the CST Government Railway Police said he was spotted performing stunts on a CR local. 
    “He lost balance and fell off the train after hitting a pole as the train was entering Masjid station. Passengers on the platform alerted the motorman as they saw him fall,” said senior inspector Surendra Deshmukh.

UNSCHEDULED STOP: The breakaway coaches of the 12-car Kalyan-bound local train on Monday evening

Railway accident victim loses an arm as cops target do-gooder

Nitasha Natu TNN 

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    A good Samaritan, Sadiq Shaikh, who tried to help a railway accident victim at Masjid himself became a target of police high-handedness. “As another cop came by, I urged him, too, to do something fast. The second cop turned around and slapped me hard, hurling the choicest of abuses. I was taken aback wondering what had I done wrong to deserve this treatment, when he slapped me again.” 
    Shaikh decided to approach railway authorities to complain. He found a ticket checker’s room and was directed to the station manager’s office. In the meanwhile, he learned that Chavan was being taken to hospital and his arm had to be amputated. “The station manager’s office was shut so I travelled to CST and visited the GRP outpost. The duty officers heard me out and apologized to me. I left but later thought that I should at least write a complaint letter to the senior inspector so that no other samaritan is treated the way I was,” said Shaikh. 
    Around 9pm, Shaikh returned to the CST GRP to submit a complaint letter. This time, he was not greeted with apologies. “An officer shouted at me for wasting the police’s time. He threatened to book me for obstructing a public servant in doing his duty. I was very shaken and left my complaint letter on their desk, before stepping out. I now fear that I will be terrorized further if senior officers conduct an inquiry against the concerned personnel,” he said. 
    Senior inspector Surendra Deshmukh of CST GRP said he was unaware of the incident but would look into it. 
    Meanwhile, Chavan is in critical condition. “He is on the ventilator and is getting an adrenaline drip. His right arm is amputated above the elbow and he has a serious head injury. His condition is serious,” said Dr Jagdish Bhavani, medical superintendent of St George’s Hospital. 
HUMAN TRAGEDY IN THE CITY 1 Sadiq Shaikh (name changed) was waiting at Masjid station around 3pm on Thursday to board a train to his Kurla residence, when he spotted a youth lying on the tracks, covered in blood. Shaikh raised an alarm and as other commuters began to gather, he called a railway cop 2Fellow travellers lifted the injured youth to the space adjacent to the tracks. Shaikh waved to the motorman of an oncoming train to halt. As another cop came along, Shaikh asked him to act soon. The cop turned around and slapped him, hurling abuses. Shaikh was still reeling under the shock when the cop slapped him again 3Shaikh approached the TC room to complain and was directed to the stationmaster’s office, which was shut. In the meantime, the injured youth was moved to a hospital. His right arm was amputated. Shaikh went to CST GRP outpost where duty officers heard him out and apologized 4 At night, Shaikh decided to leave a complaint letter with the senior inspector. This time, a cop at the outpost threatened to book him and shooed him away TIMES VIEW: Railway police’s insensitive approach to a samaritan trying to organize help for an accident victim is deplorable. Police personnel who shirk their responsibilities should be dealt with sternly. In this fast-paced city those who come forward to the aid of someone in distress should be encouraged. This act sends a wrong signal to such samaritans. Many a times, they are treated as suspects, besides being made to wait for hours by cops for formalities. WHAT THE LAW SAYS 
GRP personnel take railway accident victims to the nearest hospital after receiving a memo from the station master’s office. But this does not mean that a bystander cannot rush an accident victim to the hospital. There is no bar on doctors of private hospitals giving emergency care to a victim, irrespective of whether there is a legal criminal dimension to the accident

HC asks ‘insensitive’ Rly authorities to wake up. Death Trap Gap Ghatkoper

Sunil.Baghel @timesgroup.com TWEETS @baghels 

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    Just a day after converting reportsfromthisnewspaperintoa suo–motu public interest litigation, the Bombay High Court gave an earful to the Railway authorities on Saturday. 
The division bench headed by Chief Justice Mohit Shah termed the Railway authorities insensitive and said they needed to wake up at least now. 
The court was referring to the newspaper report published on January18about21-year-oldKharresident Zia-Ul-Aminuddin Shaikh, who died due to a cardiac arrest, hours after losinghisleftleginanaccidentatAndheristation.Theaccidentwasblamedon the gap between the platform and the compartment he was trying to board. Addressing Suresh Kumar, advocate for the Railways, the bench said, “Saturday’s newspapers report a third accident (that took place) in a similar manner. Your clients must wake up now at least. It appears that your officials don’t care for the life and limbs of people.” 
    The court further added that lives were being lost almost on a daily basis and the Railway authorities seemed to have become insensitive. 
    Since the January 11 Monica More incident,thishasbeenthirdsuchincident where a person met with an accident due to the uneven gap between the platform and the train’s footboard. While 16-year-old Monica lost both her arms, in the second incident in this series, 31-year-old electrician Tanvir Sheikh lost both his legs when he slipped through the gap between the platform and a coach at Kurla station on Wednesday evening. 
    The Railways’ advocate was present before the court as an activist had moved an application beforethebenchseekingtotaghisPILfiled on the issue ‘Railway passengers’ safety’ with the suo–motu PIL taken up by the Chief Justice on Friday. The HC rejected the application. 
    It also made clear that the main focus of the suo–motu PIL would be the gap between the platform and the train and autonomy of Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation. 
    Reproducing four Mirror reports – Mind the gap, Mumbai (January 14); Timeforsuburbannetworktosecedefrom rail ministry (January 15); Ambernath platforms pose daily risk for commuters (January 15); and City’s death-trap stations (January 17) – the court converted the matter to a PIL and posted its next hearing for February 13. 
    Chief Justice’s division bench has made the Union Railway Ministry, theRailwayBoard,Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation, and General Managers of Central, Western and Konkan railways respondents to the PIL. 
    Mumbai Mirror launched a sustained campaign against the railways’ failure to raise the height of suburban platforms and the absence of emergency medical care at stations. Noting thatthesuburbanrailwayservicescarry over 70 lakh passengers every day, the HC notice quotes from a report in this newspaper on how a Central Railway’s request to raise the height of platforms over and above the nationally prescribed parameters has been pending with the Railway Board for four years.

(From left) The spot at the Ghatkopar station where a girl fell and lost both her arms last week; Mumbai Mirror reports on the issue

CITY’S DEATH-TRAP STATIONS Mirror visits Kasara, Khardi and Atgaon and finds that none of the platforms meet the prescribed norms

Yogesh Sadhwani and Virat A Singh mirrorfeedback@timesgroup.com TWEETS @_MumbaiMirror 

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    Days after the Monica More accident at Ghatkopar, Central Railway officials continue to pass the buck, blaming railway ministry policies for not being able to reduce the gap between platforms and rakes. While citing restrictions on raising the height of platforms, the officials have also blamed commuters for being reckless and trying to board running trains. 
    Mirror, however, visited Kasara, Khardi and Atgaon stations, and nailed CR’s lie. At all three stations, located on the Kalyan-Kasara route, the gap between rakes and platforms measures 18 to 20 inches, and at some spots even goes up to 21 inches. 
    While the prescribed gap should be between 13.46 inches and 17.2 inches, officials say they try to ensure it does not exceed the acceptable 14 inches. However,atallthreestations,thenorm is violated, making them the most dangerous stations on the suburban route. 
    What’s more, the gap is not just in terms of height between the platform and rakes, but also the distance forward of the footboard from the platform. Thus, while negotiating the height,passengershave to also make sure they take a huge step forward to reach the footboard, thereby magnifying their risk of falling in the gap. 
    The incidents of commuters falling into the gap at these stations have been numerous. In 2013 alone, eight cases of people falling into the gaps and either losing their lives or getting badly injured were reported at Kasara. Several such incidents occurred at Khardi and Atgaon too, but went unreported as no one was seriously injured. 
Kasara, which caters to over 10,000 commuters each day, has four platforms. The gap between the rakes and platforms here is between 18 to 20 inches, and at some stretches, goes up to 21 inches. 
At Atgaon which has two platforms and caters to around 3,000 commuters daily ,the gap is 18 inches. And so is the case at Khardi, which caters to over 3,000 commuters on an average day. With people falling into gaps at these three stations not all that rare an occurrence, the regular commuters here have turned vigilant to such incidents. “With the Railways not bothered to do anything about the gaps,dailycommutershavelearnttobe very alert,” said Vijay Manohar, a 25-year-old vendor who helped pull out at least a dozen people last year. 
    “As soon as someone falls into the gap, one of us rushes to alert the guard or motorman not to start the train until the person is brought up. Fortunately, in most cases last year, people escaped with bruises because this is a starting point for trains,” he added. 
    Khardi resident Vishal Jadhav, a member of the local passenger association, said that barely a week passes without someone falling into the gap. “Over here, it’s not just the gap between rake and platform in terms of height, but also the distance between the platform and the rake that poses a threat,”Jadhavsaid.“Thankstothecallous approach of the Railways, our commuters have all become boarding specialists,” he added with sarcasm. 
    So what has the Railways done about these death trap? Nothing, if you ask Rajesh Ghanghav, advisor of the Kalyan Kasara Railway Passengers Welfare Association and vice-president of the Mumbai Suburban Railway Passenger Association. 
    Ghanghav told Mirror that in the past two years the associations have taken up the issue of gaps at Khardi, Atgaon and Kasara with senior Railway officials a dozen times. “We have given them multiple representations. Even station masters have given submissions to their superiors, asking them to do something since so many accidents take place here,” said Ghanghav. 
    “This is nothing short of criminal negligence on the part of CR. People are getting injured, maimed and even losing their lives because of CR’s insensitive approach. If only they pay heed to our pleas and raise the height of platforms, it will be a huge relief for us and scores of accidents both minor and major can be averted,” Ghanghav added. 
    Of the 11 stations the lie between Kalyan and Kasara, eight have been fixed in the past five years. But Khardi, Atgaon and Kasara have been left untouched. The platforms of all three stations have not been raised, and the gaps have remained as they are for years. 
    But CR officials are busy defending themselves by claiming that the platforms of these three stations meet the norms and their height is as per rules laid down by the Railway ministry. 
    Atul Rane, CPRO of CR, claimed that height of the platforms is as per rules laid down by Railway ministry. “At Atgaon the height is between 810 mm and 950 mm, at Kasara it is 770 mm to 920 mm, and at Khardi it is around 850 mm. We thus meet the standard of keeping the platforms between 760 mm and 840 mm,” said Rane. 
    CR is unable to explain that if the height of the platforms is as per norms, how is it that the platforms do not meet the norms pertaining to the gap between rakes and platforms. The numbers just do not add up.

Members of a commuters’ association measure the gap between coaches and platform at Atgaon (L), Kasara (top R) and Khardi

Make all platforms safer in 2 weeks, CR told

Manthan K Mehta & Manoj Badgeri TNN 

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Mumbai: Not just Ghatkopar and Thane, Central Railway’s Mumbai division has been directed to ensure that there are no abrupt discontinuation (like gaps) or any infringement (like signal poles) on platforms that can endanger the lives of commuters. 
    The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) of Central Circle has asked the authorities to comply and submit a report within two weeks. 
    Central Railway has finally begun work to fill up the pit at Ghatkopar’s platformNo2throughwhichstudent Monika More, 16, fell and lost both arms. “We have decided to shift the signal horizontally by 1.5 meters and the junction box from the pit can be shifted to the middle of the tracks,” said CR’sdivisional manager Mukesh Nigam. 
    Safety commissioner Chetan Bakshi told TOI: “There is no violation of the Schedule of Dimension (of platforms) in the case of Ghatkopar as the train was stopping well short of the signal. However, such discontinuation of platform is not desirable.” 
    At Thane, another pit lying unattended for close to two years was finally covered. Workers from the railways’ civil works department filled the ditch with debris and levelled it off with cement blocks. By Thursday afternoon, the signal box was also shifted, leaving behind a smooth platform surface. 
    The10ftx3ftditchwascreated after signal pole S68 was shifted following a mandate that equipment on platforms must be 4.7m away from the centre of the track. 
    Epitomizing railways red tape, the department relocating thesignalshiftedthe pole but didn’t move the allied equipment from the platform. It also didn’t inform the civil works department and thus the gap was left unattended for almost two years.

Pits on platforms are filled up at Ghatkopar and Thane stations

Now, 31-yr-old loses legs at Kurla station

Sumitra Deb Roy & Manthan K Mehta TNN 

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Mumbai: A 31-year-old electrician lost both legs when he slipped through the gap between the platform and a coach at Kurla station on Wednesday evening while trying to board a moving train. 
    Barely four days ago, 16-year-old Monika More lost both her arms when she fell into an unguarded signal pit while trying to board a train at Ghatkopar. 
    Tanavir Sheikh was rushed to Sion Hospital within 30 minutes of the accident, but his limbs could not be saved because of the nature of his injuries. Eyewitnesses told TOI that around 10.30pm on Wednesday, Sheikh came in from the Ghatkopar-end of platform 6 and tried to board a CST-bound fast local train that was pulling out. “He tried to get a hold on to the door handle of the coach but lost his balance and fell through the gap between the platform and the rake,” said a commuter Shankar Iyer. Kurla platform gap widest where man fell on tracksLegs Couldn’t Be Reattached, Family Worried About Future 
    Tanavir Sheikh, who fell while trying to board a local at Kurla on Wednesday, was bleeding profusely as one leg had been cut off below the knee and the other was dangling only by the skin when he was brought to hospital by 11pm. 
    “His legs were completely amputated near the knee and 
there was no stump left to carry out a reattachment surgery. Reattachment is always tricky in accidents where patients suffer serious crush injuries. Once the bones have healed, we will think of prosthetic limbs,” said Dr Ashok Rathod, professor, orthopaedic department, Sion Hospital. 
    “He lost balance while trying to board the train. We will know the exact cause of accident only after checking the CCTV footage,” said P D Babar, inspector, Kurla GRP. 
    At Kurla station, the height of platform 6 varies from 760mm to 920mm with the gap the widest towards the Ghatkopar-end. “Platform designing is a complicated process as we have to take into account track geometry and topography of the land. Kurla is like a bowl where water from surrounding areas get accumulated, impacting the track geometry,” explained a railway official. 
    “It is a risky platform and last year, too, one of our personnel had died because of the huge gap,” said a GRP official. 
    “Fortunately, the train stopped soon and passengers pulled up Sheikh from the tracks. The hamals and GRP officials took him to hospital,” added Nitin Shukla, who also witnessed the accident. 
    Sheikh’s brother-in-law Kasam Saiyyed had reached the hospital soon after he was brought in. Sheikh was conscious and kept worrying how his family would survive as he was the only one who earned before the doctors sedated him and started treatment, he said. 
    Sheikh’s wife Asma, 22, said he had said he would be home for dinner. “Our lives are doomed now as he is the sole bread-earner of the family. We have no finances to take care of his treatment,” she said. 
    Shaikh, a resident of Govandi, earned about Rs 3,000-5,000 a month from odd assignments. The couple has three children, aged six, five and one and a half years. They were preparing to send their second son to school in the next couple of months. 
    The family has begun battling problems already — their first one was unavailability of blood. “All night we scouted for B negative blood and finally managed to get it only in the morning from a Dahisar blood bank,” said Saiyyed. They have not heard of the state’s recently launched blood-on-call service. 
    “We do not know the circumstances under which he met with an accident. We are ascertaining the fact before a conclusion can be drawn,” said Central Railway divisional manager Mukesh Nigam. UNEVEN STATION PUTS PASSENGERS AT RISK 
TANAVIR SHEIKH, 31 Lives in Govandi Is an electrician Earns Rs 3,000-5,000 a month Has a family of four: wife Asma (22), and three children WORK DAY | Sheikh was headed home from work. He was in Kurla to make electrical arrangements for a social gathering 
    He is usually home by 9pm 
    On Wednesday, he worked longer 
Sheikh tries to board train as it starts pulling out of platform He loses balance and slips into gap between footboard and platform His legs are crushed under the train He is brought to Sion Hospital by 11pm by railway officials, who also inform his family members In hospital, his parameters are stabilized On Thursday, his crushed legs are surgically removed knee down PROSTHETIC LEGS PROSTHESES WIDELY USED IN INDIA 
    Tanavir Sheikh may be able to lead a near normal life with below-knee prosthetic legs 
    Below-knee artificial legs are easy to handle because of control with natural knees 
    The stump goes into a socket and is held in place with suction 
    The socket, foot and shin of a prosthetic leg is designed in a way to efficiently bear the wearer’s body weight Jaipur foot | Made of wood and sponge rubber moulded at high temperature. Rubber on the outer surface gives the leg a natural look. The leg can bend in all directions that a natural leg can and offers high flexibility to users, who can walk on uneven surfaces and even squat COST | Available for free 
Solid ankle cushion heel (SACH) foot 
Speciality is soft rubber heel that compresses under weight just like a natural heel does COST | Rs 1.5-1.75 lakh OLD RAKES Number | 23 Footboard height | 1.22 m 
from top surface of rail 
NEW RAKES Number | 51 Footboard height | 1.18-1.2 m from top surface of rail 
What explains height difference 
Air springs in newer rakes are less compressed than that of old rakes 
PLATFORMS Height raised to 0.84 m | 500 platforms on CR Height of 0.76 m to less than 0.84 m | 50 platforms on CR PLANS TO INCREASE PLATFORM HEIGHT CR plans to increase height of 50 remaining platforms ‘soon’ Platforms at Chembur and Kurla stations, and platform No 5 at Dadar will be taken up on priority CST EXPERIMENT Height of platforms at CST | 0.92 m This is considered to be comfortable for commuters Western Railway has sought permission from railway board to raise the height of its suburban network platforms to 0.92 metres Ideal footboard-platform gap | 3.4-4.35 cm TIMES VIEW: Work on raising platform height needs to be finished on an emergency basis. Funds should not be a roadblock in a matter like this; if need be, money meant for other work should be diverted here. Every accident is a human tragedy and accidents, where one contributing factor may be the gap between the footboard and the platform, are avoidable human tragedies. Commuters also need to understand that nothing — even reaching their destination a few minutes late — is more important than life or limb. The railways cannot shake off the responsibility of ensuring a safe journey but this is one responsibility that should also be shared by commuters.