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