TATA MEMORIAL STUDY REVEALS SHOCKING DATA - GRP sitting on a ticking C-bomb

May 24 2016 : Mirror (Mumbai)

TATA MEMORIAL STUDY REVEALS SHOCKING DATA - GRP sitting on a ticking C-bomb

Iram Siddique TWEETS @MumbaiMirror





Pre-oral cancer preventive tests carried out on Government Railway Police constables addicted to chewing tobacco has produced shocking results, with 24 out of 29 tested so far found to be in the pre-cancer stage, that is just seven years away from full-blown cancer.One of the constables tested was found to be just a year away from the stage where chemotherapy would be his only hope if he did not kick the habit. All the 24 constables are now being counselled ­ in groups and also individually.
The cancer testing is being undertaken by a team of five doctors of the Tata Memorial Centre following an earlier oral hygiene study among these constables revealed extremely poor standards. The results of pre-oral cancer study have, however, shocked even the doctors. “We had not imagined that the percentage of GRP constables in the high-risk category would be so high. The GRP is sitting on ticking cancer bomb,“ said a doctor who did not wish to be identified.
During the testing pre-oral cancer tests carried out over the past two days, the constables were put through an oral clinical examination, followed by a VELscope examination and finally a cytology test.
Tests revealed that out of the 24, eight suffered from submucus fibrosis, which is a medical condition in which the patient's mouth does not open more than 2 cm. In sub-mucous fibrosis, which make it difficult for doctors to examine the insides of a patient's mouth, it is assumed that he suffering from leucoplacia, which is existence of white patches.
A doctor explained that with leucoplacia, the patient is likely to enter the first stage of cancer in the next seven to eight years if he continues with the habit of chewing tobacco. One constable was found to be suffering from erythoriplakia, which is presence of red patches, indicating that he would have cancer within a year if he did not give up tobacco.
Dr Kshama Vairagi, research counsellor of Tata Memorial Hospital said the reason most of the constables checked gave for consuming tobacco was professional stress. “However, the effect of nicotine to release stress is more psychological. In our group and individual sessions, we are trying to tell the constables that tobacco is, in fact, adding to their stress by compromising their longterm well-being,“ she said.
The pre-oral testing camp was GRP Commissioner Madhukar Pandey's initiative. He said he is going to ensure that all constables in pre-oral cancer stage attend counselling sessions and give up tobacco.
Pandey said it was a casual remark of a doctor during a regular check-up his constables' poor oral hygiene that made him think of a deeper investigation. “It is known that most of them chew tobacco.So we decided to have a pre-oral examination. But the information that 24 out of the 29 tested so far are prone to cancer was shocking,“ he said.

13-hour official apathy kills boy who fell off local train. Deva Pawar, travelling from Ambernath to Badlapur, died after falling from a local rain on Monday night. His family claimed that he lost his balance. His friend informed GRP (government railway po ice) personnel at Badlapur railway station but they left after searching the area for a few minutes. The next morning, the family found the victim unconscious in bushes near the tracks and took him to a private hospital, but he died.

Mar 10 2016 : The Times of India (Mumbai)

13-hour official apathy kills boy who fell off local train

Pradeep Gupta

Kalyan





In another case of official apathy towards railway accident victims, a 17-year-old boy from Badlapur died as he was left unconscious besides the tracks for 13 hours. When the victim's family took him to a government hospital the next morning, doctors refused to treat him till the police arrived.Deva Pawar, travelling from Ambernath to Badlapur, died after falling from a local rain on Monday night. His family claimed that he lost his balance. His friend informed GRP (government railway po ice) personnel at Badlapur railway station but they left after searching the area for a few minutes. The next morning, the family found the victim unconscious in bushes near the tracks and took him to a private hospital, but he died.
The family alleged that it took 13 hours for the victim to get treatment and if GRP per sonnel had searched for Deva through the night, and provided him medical care, he might have survived.
Deva's father Suresh is a daily wages worker. The police said on Monday afternoon that Deva, along with a friend, had gone to Ambernath's Shiva temple, on the occasion of Mahashivratri. The family said that after a darshan at around 8pm, Deva was returning with his friend, Rajan Shinde, when he fell from the train.
Rajan said that he alerted Deva's family and at Badlapur station informed deputy station master, N H Thakur, about the incident. Thakur informed GRP personnel, Anil Javde, who along with some people went to the spot without any searchlight and returned after some time. Deva's family found him the next day at 9am.
Sachin Shinde, a relative of the victim, said, “Deva's family took him to the state-run Central hospital in Ulhasnagar for treatment but doctors there refused to admit him, claiming that they would wait for the police to arrive. They also suggested that if they   needed urgent treatment, they should take Deva to the local Badlapur hospital, under whose jurisdiction the incident occurred.“
Sachin said, “By the time we took Deva to the Badlapur hospital, he died. We then took him to Central hospital, where doctors conducted a post-mortem and handed us the body .“
Deva's father Suresh said, “I am not educated and do not have much knowledge about the law but I know that my son was alive for 13 hours, and if GRP had searched for him and had given him treatment in time, he could have been alive.“
Local activist Satyjeet Burman has decided to help Deva's family legally to fight against the GRP for “justice“. Burman said, “The GRP is violating a high court order by not providing treatment to accident victims on time. I will raise this issue with senior railway officials, demanding action.“
Kalyan GRP senior inspector Anant Rane did not answer repeated phone calls.

CR report passes the buck for the death of 29-yr-old woman who fell off a train. A report filed by the Central Railways on the death of 29-year-old Darshana Pa war in February last year says that rail way officials did their best in getting her the necessary medical attention and that they had nothing to do with her incessant transfer from one hospital to another ­which emerged as the reason for her death.

Mar 08 2016 : Mirror (Mumbai)

CR report passes the buck for the death of 29-yr-old woman who fell off a train

Sunil Baghel TWEET @baghels





A report filed by the Central Railways on the death of 29-year-old Darshana Pa war in February last year says that rail way officials did their best in getting her the necessary medical attention and that they had nothing to do with her incessant transfer from one hospital to another ­which emerged as the reason for her death.However, the report does point out the absence of government ambulances at both Badlapur and Ambernath stations. Darshana, a receptionist at a Vashi-based private company, fell off a train between Badlapur and Ambernath stations around 8 pm on February 9, 2015, after a thief hit her on the head with a stick.
Her brother Sachin then moved the Bombay High Court, alleging that a fellow passenger, Madhu Birmole, tried everything she could for the next nine hours to get Darshana to a good hospital, but faced hurdles at every step. Darshana passed away at JJ Hospital. Sachin sought charges of culpable homicide against those allegedly responsible for her death--railway officials and doctors. The Bombay High Court, while hearing a Public Interest Litigation on the safety of passengers, sought a clarification from the railways on Pawar's allegations.
The report also says that the distance between Badlapur and Ambernath is about 9 km and that the frequency of the trains on that line is low. The report says that the Station Master in Badlapur, after being relieved from his duty at 8 pm, went to the accident spot­ which was about 5 kms from the Badlapur station ­by the very next available train.
After finding Darshana badly injured, he informed the on-duty Station Master at Badlapur to inform his counter-part at Ambernath. Darshan was taken by that very train to Vangani, reached the station at 8.3 pm and was immediately transferred to the nearest municipal hospital.
“There is no lapse on the part of either railway officials or the Government Railway Police in this incident. All the authorities acted promptly,“ says the report. But it adds, “The decision of the municipal hospital to refer the case to the central hospital and the subsequent hospitals is basically in the nature of a technical decision taken by qualified medical personnel.“
A report from the Senior Inspector of the Kalyan GRP ­ annexed to the Central Railways' report ­ says that the GRP registered a murder case against unknown person for the incident.

The report says that the Municipal Hospital referred Darshana to the Central Hospital after giving her primary treatment for further treatment around 9 pm due to lack of facilities. They then reached the Central Hospital around 9.30 pm, which then referred her to Sion or JJ Hospital around 10.30 pm. The team then left from there at around 11pm and reached Sion Hospital at 12.15am.
Sion Hospital, in turn, referred her to JJ Hospital because of non-availability of beds in the Intensive Care Unit. They did not admit her formally. This report points out that it was already around 12.45 am by the time they reached JJ Hospital ­ which was over 4hours after the incident. Darshana succumbed to her injuries at JJ Hospital around 4.45am.

Late-running services to blame for commuter deaths, finds WR panel.

Jan 10 2016 : Mirror (Mumbai)

Late-running services to blame for commuter deaths, finds WR panel

Kamal Mishra TWEETS @KMMIRROR





Report calls for comprehensive reforms, doesn't let passengers off the hook either

A Western Railway panel has concluded that a delay in services is a major cause of overcrowding in trains, which is leading to more people dying on the tracks.Mirror has obtained an exclusive copy of this report--the committee comprised members of parliament, railway activists, BMC Commissioner Ajoy Mehta, Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation director RS Khurana, and other senior railway officers, including the additional general manager and the Chief Public Relation Officer of Western Railway.
The report points out that Western Railway runs fewer trains run during the evening rush hour as compared to the morning rush hour, even though the evening peak sees more overcrowding. 134 services are run during the morning peak hours and only 124 during the evening. 9.3% of passengers use these services between 6 and 7 pm. A few committee members also blamed the Western Railway's timetables. This included MP Gopal Shetty, who said the train timings should be `rationalized.' The report recommended the completion of the missing link between Mahim and Santa Cruz on the 5th line, asking for it to be finished at the earliest. This would allow some mail and express trains to be diverted, freeing up space for local trains.
The report also recommended segregation of the suburban traffic from the main line, stating that the local trains should get their own corridor and at least four lines should be earmarked exclusively for them.Reduction of the inter signal distance between Borivali and Virar would also reduce headway and increase track capacity.
Both the Western and Central Railway had set up high-level committees to study the root cause of death on the tracks, on the orders of Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu.This after the video of techie Ganesh Nakate falling to death off a train went viral.
According to the report, two-hundred and forty five people died falling off trains in 2015 (till November). This is the second biggest contributor to deaths on the tracks and accounts for 20% of the total number of railway deaths. A large number of deaths occurred between Jogeshwari and Borivali and Vasai and Vaitarna. It was determined that a detailed safety audit for these areas be carried out.
The report also made several other recommendations for Western Railway. One was to make 50% of its trains 15-coaches. As of now, only two out of eighty-four rakes have 15 coaches. Another was for the government to adopt staggered timings for offices and the stock market to break up the flow of passengers. The committee also advised modification of the poles in the new Siemens rakes to facilitate a firmer grip after members of the public complained that they were unable to hold onto the smooth surfaces of the poles.End to end fencing of station premises and providing subways at every 500 metres to allow the quick discharge of passengers were also advocated. Automatic closing doors for non-AC EMUs were also suggested. The report counselled Western Railway to raise the height of track dividers to discourage young travellers from crossing the tracks.
The report also blamed the difference in platform height and the floor level of the trains. It didn't spare commuters either--saying they board and alight when the train is moving and avoid using the foot-overbridges and subways. It said that such intuitive passenger behaviours should be discouraged through the use of posters, sensitization campaigns and counselling of passengers by ticket checking staff and RPF and GRP personnel.
The Central Railway report may be submitted before 20th January, according to a senior CR officer. That report seems to be focusing on cab signalling on the harbour and trans-harbour line and the slow main line corridor.

Not a single person helped him. He died pleading for help. See the video, how a person hanging on a train died. He boarded the train from Dombiveli. SHAME SHAME.

Not a single person  helped him. He died pleading for help.

Dombivli resident Nakate had boarded an overcrowded train bound for CST on November 27. He could not properly get inside and was hanging outside the compartment. He lost his grip and fell on tracks.

Another commuter in the same coach recorded the disturbing incident on his mobile camera. Seconds before he fell off the train, Nakate can be heard pleading for help.

The Government Railway Police (GRP) rushed him to a hospital, but he died before doctors could do anything. A GRP spokesperson said that an inquiry had been initiated and officials were trying to contact the pas senger who shot the video and make him a witness.

Prabhu sets up panel to put commuters' safety on track. 21-year-old IT professional Bhavesh Nakate's death spurs efforts to understand passengers' problems, ease crowding on trains Three days after 21-year-old IT professional Bhavesh Nakate fell off a crammed train and died, Union Railway Minister Suresh Parbhu on Monday ordered setting up of a high-level committee to look into the problems of Mumbai commuters.

Dec 01 2015 : Mirror (Mumbai)

Prabhu sets up panel to put commuters' safety on track

Kamal Mishra TWEETS @KMMIRROR





21-year-old IT professional Bhavesh Nakate's death spurs efforts to understand passengers' problems, ease crowding on trains

Three days after 21-year-old IT professional Bhavesh Nakate fell off a crammed train and died, Union Railway Minister Suresh Parbhu on Monday ordered setting up of a high-level committee to look into the problems of Mumbai commuters.The committee, which will comprise railway and state government officials, and representatives of NGOs, will conduct public hearings and submit a report to the railway ministry within a month.
Prabhu also sought an awareness campaign to sensitise commuters to safe travelling practices. The campaign follows a letter written by Dombivli resident Vishwanth Biwalkar, who urged Prabhu to take urgent measures to improve train services and rail safety in the wake of Nakate's death.
Biwalkar emailed the letter to Prabhu on Sunday, and on Monday morning, an official from the railway ministry rang him up and assured him of corrective steps. “The official told me that an awareness campaign would be started on Tuesday. He said that commuters should give suggestions to improve safety on trains,“ Biwalkar said. AK Singh, chief security commissioner of Central Railway, confirmed that the campaign would be launched. “We will warn commuters about the dangers of boarding a moving train and leaning out of compartments. We will also deploy more personnel at major stations to prevent untoward incidents,“ Singh said.
Dombivli resident Nakate had boarded an overcrowded train bound for CST on November 27. He could not properly get inside and was hanging outside the compartment. He lost his grip and fell on tracks.
Another commuter in the same coach recorded the disturbing incident on his mobile camera. Seconds before he fell off the train, Nakate can be heard pleading for help.
The Government Railway Police (GRP) rushed him to a hospital, but he died before doctors could do anything. A GRP spokesper son said that an inquiry had been initiated and officials were trying to contact the pas senger who shot the video and make him a witness.
“We are also reviewing the CCTV footage at Dombivli station, from where Nakate had boarded the train, to find out what exactly happened,“ a GRP officer said.
On Tuesday, many commuters from Dombivli and Kalyan plan to tie black rib bons on their clothes to protest against rail way officials' failure to prevent overcrowding RORU .
on trains. “How many deaths will it 48 pages* take for railways to improve safety?“ 4090 asked Kalyan resident Ranveer Singh.
| DOLLAR 66.8 | EURO 70.7 | GBP 100.4 ATIONAL VIDEO OF Parasnath Tiwari, chairman of Yatri Suvidha Seva Sangthna, said that more people had died in train-related incidents in Mumbai in a year than in terror attacks across the country.
Diva, Kalyan-Kasara and Thane pas sengers' associations will hold a condo lence meeting at Dombivli station at 8 am on Tuesday.

Start-up dream cut short by fall from train. Parents of 22-yr-old Dombivili youth, whose fall from crowded train was captured in a video by a commuter, want change and not compensation for son's death

Nov 29 2015 : Mirror (Mumbai)

Start-up dream cut short by fall from train

Ankita Bhatkhande





Parents of 22-yr-old Dombivili youth, whose fall from crowded train was captured in a video by a commuter, want change and not compensation for son's death

Parents of the 22-year-old Dombivili youth, who fell to his death from a local train on Friday, have not yet mustered enough courage to watch a video shot by a fellow commuter that captured the moment of their son's fall.For a family yet to come to terms with the sudden death of their youngest son, perhaps not watching the video clip is the biggest sign of their denial.It was a normal day for Bhavesh Nakate who had boarded a local train from Dombivili to go to his office in Worli on Friday, but little did he know that the ride was about to be his last ever. In a bid to enter the crowded compartment of the 8.49 am-train, Nakate commenced his journey by hanging from the door ­ hoping to get inside at some point. The widely circulated video shows Nakate hanging onto the pole near the gate, until he could not anymore and falling off. He was declared dead on arrival at a hospital in Shastrinagar.
Chasing the start-up dream, Nakate had earned a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Model College, Kalyan. He worked as an operations executive for a website called Hopscotch and planned to start his own venture in a few years.
“His funda was simple. He wanted to work hard for a few years and then fund his own start-up venture. This was always his plan,“ 27-year-old Vishal Nakate, Bhavesh's brother said, as he recalled times spent with his fun-loving brother. Being a cricket-buff, he would always try to fit watching all the matches in the city into his schedule, Vishal added.
Nakate would work throughout the week and then rejuvenate himself on Sundays through his particular interest in the holistic way of living life as propagated by the Art of Living initiative.His friends knew him as a fan of this al ternate lifestyle and his Facebook page abounds with motivational posts matching the same.
After losing their son, the Nakate's do not want any compensation in return. But they would surely want the situation in local trains to improve so that nobody else loses somebody they love because of the peak-hour rush.
Nakate on the fateful day was running late for work and therefore must have boarded the train in a desperate bid to make it on time, his neighbourhood friends said.
“The trains at Dombivili are always so crowded. He must have thought that missing a train would not make any difference as no matter how many of them you miss, it is always this crowded,“ the friend, who did not want to named, added. “I regret not being able to even warn him of any danger as he had never had any train-related accident before,“ Vishal said.
Despite not hoping for any real change to take place after his son's death, he said, “I don't expect the authorities to do anything for improvement in the situation, but I will tell everybody to not sacrifice their lives by taking such crowded trains. It is alright to be late but not alright to lose one's life because of it.“

697 commuters died after falling off trains this year. An RTI query has revealed that the number of deaths due to victims falling from local trains has gone up in the last decade. In 2005, 494 people died after falling from local trains, and the toll this year has already reached 697 (till November 20).

Nov 29 2015 : Mirror (Mumbai)

697 commuters died after falling off trains this year

Kamal Mishra TWEETS @KMMIRROR





More people are losing lives after falling off packed trains compared to 10 yrs ago

An RTI query has revealed that the number of deaths due to victims falling from local trains has gone up in the last decade. In 2005, 494 people died after falling from local trains, and the toll this year has already reached 697 (till November 20).The worst year in terms of such casualties was 2013, when 901 people died after falling from trains. It was an increase of 82% as compared to the death toll in 2005, said RTI activist Anis Khan, quoting a reply received from Government Railway Police (GRP).
Questions are being raised about the commuters' safety, the local trains' capacity, and the railways' ability to respond quickly to an emergency, after a 21-year-old Dombivili resident fell off a crowded CST-bound local during the peak hours on Friday, resulting in his death.
The pictures above are grabs of a video recorded by another commuter in the second class compartment, in which the victim, Bhavesh Nakate, was desperately trying to get a foothold.
Khan said that the railway administration has failed to provide a safe and comfortable journey to the people. Most passengers who fall or slip from the running trains are struggling to get inside the compartment, just like Nakate. “The victims lose their grip and fall off, or get dashed against a pole near the railway track,“ Khan said.
As per the statistics provided under the RTI query, 7,686 people died after falling off trains in the last 10 years, while more than 22,000 were killed while crossing the tracks.
Activists said that the suburban railway network was on the “verge of a collapse“. Transport expert Ketan Goradia said, “A local train's capacity is around 1,700 people, and during the rush hours, it carries around 5,000 commuters. You can imagine the plight of the commuters. It's a miracle that people don't die of suffocation inside the compartments.“
A senior Western Railway official said that the railways were doing “everything possible“ to provide a comfortable transport, but “beating the population explosion was beyond anyone's control“. “If you compare the Mumbai suburban train network with its counterparts across the world, you'll see that we cater to the most number of people,“ the official said.
The commuters and experts, however, said that the railways could have done a lot more. “The system needs an overhaul. Signalling, station and platform layouts, track maintenance, converting all 12coach trains into 15-coach trains...obviously, the railways have a lot of work to do,“ said PC Sahagal, former MD of the Mumbai Rail Vikas Nigam.

Unconscious woman found beside rly track in Bhandup. Police have been unable to identify her; officials say she may have fallen off a moving local train, admitted her to Rajawadi Hospital

Nov 26 2015 : Mirror (Mumbai)

Unconscious woman found beside rly track in Bhandup

Kamal Mishra TWEETS @KMMIRROR





Police have been unable to identify her; officials say she may have fallen off a moving local train, admitted her to Rajawadi Hospital

Merely 36 hours after a medical student was pushed out of a moving local by a mobile phone snatcher, another woman was found unconscious near the railway tracks between Nahur and Bhandup after having fallen from a moving train. The incident occurred early in the morning on Wednesday.According to Government Railway Police (GRP) officials, at around 7 am on Wednesday, a commuter approached the station master at Kurla and told him that a lady, about 40 years of age, was lying unconscious near the tracks close to the pole marking a distance of 27.3 km from CST. The station master found her with the help of the Kurla GRP and had her admitted to Rajawadi hospital in Ghatkopar.
The victim, who is as yet unidentified, is still unable to move or speak. Vidya Thakur, medical superintendent of Rajwadi hospital, said she was grievously injured and has suf fered from multiple fractures in the head.
When asked about the incident, a senior GRP officer said, “Although she has some marks of injury on her hand, she suffered a severe injury only to the head. Prima facie it appears to be a case of falling down from a moving train. She has also not been identified.“
“We have informed all police stations in the central suburb about the incident and put out an alert for any reports about missing persons,“ he added.
The officials say the victim was found wearing a yellow metal chain, two bangles, two rings and four white metal rings. She was dressed in a pink Punjabi kurta and white churidar pyjama.
“We searched around the spot but didn't find any documents that would reveal her identity,“ said an official from GRP, Kurla.
This is the latest in a slew of such incidents that have dogged the central line. Last year, 797 deaths were attributed to falling from suburban trains.This year, the figure has already crossed the 700 mark, said a GRP official.
“Railway administration has completely failed to provide safe and comfortable transport to the passengers,“ said Advocate Swati Jain, who regularly uses the service to travel from CST to her residence in Dombivli.
“I think the basic reason why people are dying like animals is that railway officers have entirely failed to comprehend the hardships of the commuters,“ said Sudhir Katdare, another regular commuter from Thane. “Most of the passengers fall or slip from the trains when they struggle to get into a coach and fail to enter it, or when they get dashed against one of the poles next to the railway tracks,“ he added.
Upon being contacted by Mirror, Narendra Patil, chief public relations officer of Central Railway, said that the GRP and RPF are examining the case.
A railway official who did not wish to be named said, “It is true that the number of cases of passengers falling from trains has gone up, but this number also includes those cases where people lost their lives while performing stunts.“

City's track record logs improvement, deaths down 15%. Deaths on tracks fall from 4,029 in 2006 to 3,423 in 2014 Foot over bridges, track dividers, fencing, raised platforms were critical in curbing fatalities on suburban train network, say railway officials

Sep 05 2015 : Mirror (Mumbai)

City's track record logs improvement, deaths down 15%

Sanjeev Shivadekar mirrorfeedback TWEETS @MumbaiMirror





Deaths on tracks fall from 4,029 in 2006 to 3,423 in 2014Foot over bridges, track dividers, fencing, raised platforms were critical in curbing fatalities on suburban train network, say railway officials

The number of fatalities recorded on Mumbai's sub urban rail network dipped 15 per cent from 2006 to 2014, a number that assumes significance when juxtaposed with the increase in train services and commuter traffic in the corresponding period. The number of routes increased from nearly 2,326 in 2006 to close to 2,600 in 2014, while the passenger population went up by 15 per cent, from 61 lakh to 72 lakh.According to figures compiled by Government Railway Police (GRP), 4,029 fatalities were recorded in 2006 and 3,423 in 2014; the average number of deaths per day decreased from 11 in 2006 to nine in 2014 (see box). The railways has implemented several measures to curtail deaths on the tracks (see box). “We've increased rail services [to ease crowding], constructed foot over bridges, closed level crossings and increased safety awareness among commuters,“ said Sharat Chandrayan, chief public relation officer (Western Railway).“There's been an application of scientific method in preventing accidents.“
Vinit Kumar, secretary and chief public relation officer (central railway) said, “To bring down fatalities the administration has launched special drives to discourage trespassing.Apart from deterrent drives the administration also plans to conduct public awareness programmes to ensure that commuters follow safety norms.“ A senior GRP officer, who asked that his name be withheld, said a majority of deaths occurred due to trespassing while a bulk of the remaining fatalities were caused by commuters who fell off moving trains ­ he was unable to provide Mumbai Mirror the component quantities to substantiate that claim.
Other than trespassing, the “gap trap“ ­ the space between the coach and platform ­ has posed significant difficulties in curbing fatalities, officials said. According to GRP statistics, the gap claimed 79 per cent more lives in Mumbai in 2014 than in 2013; 34 people in 2014 as against 19 the previous year.
To address this, the height of most platforms have been raised from 840 mm to 920 mm in 45 of the 76 stations in Mumbai, a Central Railway official said. “The efforts taken by the railway administration and police in past few years have started yielding positive results,“ said GRP commissioner Madhukar Pandey. “But efforts are on to bring down these numbers even further.“
Railway activist Samir Zaveri acknowledged that the measures have been largely effective. “They have resulted in the reduction of fatalities,“ he said. “But the administration's aim should be zero deaths on tracks.“

India's biggest transport crisis. Rajendra B Aklekar TWEETS @_MumbaiMirror   Over 3,000 trains cancelled; 50,000 ticket refunds every day; Rs 1,200 revenue lost; and it's not over yet Itarsi fire cripples country's train network Officials say over 3,000 trains cancelled; massive repair operation launched; loss estimated at Rs 1,200 cr

Jul 11 2015 : Mirror (Mumbai)

India's biggest transport crisis

Rajendra B Aklekar TWEETS @_MumbaiMirror





Over 3,000 trains cancelled; 50,000 ticket refunds every day; Rs 1,200 revenue lost; and it's not over yetItarsi fire cripples country's train network
Officials say over 3,000 trains cancelled; massive repair operation launched; loss estimated at Rs 1,200 cr

A fire in the control centre of the pivotal Itarsi Railway Junction in UP has caused one of the largest and lengthiest ­ train disruptions in over a decade, with more than 70 trains being cancelled each day for the last 22 days; over 3,000 in all, resulting in 50,000 ticket refunds a day. And given the extent of damage to the Route Relay Interlocking (RRI) panel ­ the nerve centre of a station that routes all major rail traffic between the four cardinal directions ­ railway officials estimate that services will be restored only by July 23.Monetary loss caused by the dysfunctional system is in the region of Rs 1,200 crore, sources in the railways said.At least 900 trains originating from and headed for Mumbai have been cancelled since the fire broke out.
A fire that broke out at 5.45 am on June 17 destroyed the central cabin of the route relay interlocking system at Itarsi in Madhya Pradesh, resulting in a cascading effect on the country's entire rail network, slowing down train movement, and forcing operators to resort to manual signalling methods, including flags and “authority to proceed“ chits handed to drivers approaching switching points.
“The electronic dashboard controls train movement over significant sections. The entire panel, connected with the signal points and track turnouts, has been gutted. It is a huge system with thousands of cables and circuits and railway engineers have to completely set up a new system. It is taking time because of the complexity of the job,“ a senior railways official said. “It's critical to understand that it is very dangerous to allow the same volume of train movement without the RRI system in place.“ Itarsi Junction normally handles 300 trains a day. The burned down panel has whittled that number down to a third of that number.
According to railway employees, the RRI cabin was ill-maintained and did not house a smoke detector. “This disaster could have been averted,“ an official told Mumbai Mirror. No offi cial explanation was forthcoming.
The task at hand is daunting. In all, close to 120 km of cables must be replaced; over 300 km of jumper cables installed; 3 lakh segments to be soldered and joined with precision; and each one of the 900 relays in the control room must be set right. “We have deployed more than 950 engineers and over 50 officers to work on the site day and night,“ Piyush Mathur, chief spokesperson, West Central Railway, said.
Former railway board member (mechanical) Subodh Jain said that a crisis of this scale hasn't occurred in over a decade. “There was an arch bridge collapse on Western Railway between Surat and Mumbai in 2003; trains had been diverted and cancelled for nearly 20 days, but not on this scale. This is a rare crisis,“ he said.
In Mumbai, travellers with reserved tickets have had to spend nights at CST, waiting for services to resume or find alternative routes home. Some made tortuous journeys back to the city.
“I was to travel back [to Mumbai] from Char-dham Yatra with my friends. We had a booking on the Varanasi-Mumbai Express. But as we reached the station, we were told that the train had been cancelled. We were helpless and tried booking a ticket in another train but they were all full.We had to board a general coach which was jam packed. We stood on the train for the entire overnight journey from Varanasi to Itarsi,“ said Malan Palekar, 58.
Railways officials said the figure of 50,000 ticket cancellations and refunds from online tickets across the country is just the tip of an iceberg, because more refunds have been given through booking counters.
Asked how many passengers have been affected, railways officials said they do not have a mechanism to keep track, but the figure could run into lakhs.
In fact, just one zone, the south east central railway, has released its figures of losses that have reached Rs 2.5 crore till June 29. While 5,260 tickets were cancelled in Raipur zone with railways bearing a loss of Rs 35,23,135, Nagpur zone saw 25,790 ticket cancellations with a refund of Rs 1,07,18,675. Bilaspur zone had to refund Rs 1,15,13,245 for cancellation of 23,475 tickets. These are just reserved ticket passengers. “Other zones are yet to calculate the exact losses, but the estimate is of Rs 1,200 crore already,“ an official added.
BK Mishra from Amethi, who runs a taxi for a living in Mumbai, could not make it in time for his father's surgery. “I had to go as my father was unwell. He is well now, but I should have been there. I had booked tickets a month in advance,“ he said.
Vivek Mishra, a teacher by profession working in Mumbai, is stuck in Sultanpur. “My train got cancelled thrice, Saket Express and Udyog Nagri. I need to return to Mumbai, but I have been stuck here. Now I am figuring out how to come back,“ he said.
THE CONTROL PANEL THAT CRASHED
Route Relay Interlocking (RRI) is the dashboard used in large and busy stations that are required to handle high volumes of train movements.
The RRI controls the entire route traced by a train as it passes through a station. All associated points and signals along the track can be set at once by a switch for receiving, holding, blocking, or dispatching trains.
The system mirrors the actual geographical layout of signal switches and push buttons. All that an operator is required to do to effect a switch in the route is determine where a train is and to which line it must be shifted. The RRI takes care of the rest.
When a route is set and locked, the route is illuminated by white strip lights in the track circuit configurations throughout the route (except the overlap).
Itarsi's RRI central cabin controls hundreds of points and signals. It pilots traffic moving in the direction of Gorakhpur, Lucknow, Kanpur, Patna, Mumbai, Nagpur, Allahabad and Jabalpur.
When Itarsi's system burned down on June 17, it was akin to an Air Traffic Control tower losing its flight sequencing system; train operators had to resort to antiquated manual signalling techniques.

TTE who beat up commuter at Kurla finally behind bars. Singh surrendered earlier this week after rote to the di the Kurla GRP wrote to the divisional railway manager (Central Railway), apprising him of the incident. Singh was produced before a railway court and released on bail. The CR has suspended him following the incident.

May 10 2015 : The Times of India (Mumbai)

TTE who beat up commuter at Kurla finally behind bars

Mumbai: TIMES NEWS NETWORK





A travelling ticket examiner (TTE), Anand Singh, has Singh, has been arrested for assaulting a ticketless traveller.Singh surrendered earlier this week after rote to the di the Kurla GRP wrote to the divisional railway manager (Central Railway), apprising him of the incident. Singh was produced before a railway court and released on bail. The CR has suspended him following the incident.
The incident took place on April 22 when hotel employee Navroz Charania (36) was travelling from Kanjurmarg to Kurla. Singh asked him for ticket at Kurla station around 9.30am. When Charania said he did not have a ticket, Singh took him to the office of the chief ticket inspector and verbally abused him. Charania then asked Singh to mind his language and also offered to pay fine for travelling without a ticket. But Singh allegedly lost his cool and punched Charania on his face. He also took away Charania's cellphone and kicked him.
Charania was then made to wait at the CTI's office for half an hour. Later, other TTEs came to the office, following which Singh left. Charania's cellphone was returned to him by Singh's colleagues. The injured victim then went to the nearby Kurla GRP outpost and lodged a case against Singh. Charania was sent to Bhabha Hospital for a medical examination.
“Singh has been involved in a case of extortion in the past as well,“ said Vijay Dhopavkar, senior inspector, Kur la GRP.

CCTVs planned after Kurla TTE assaults commuter. Central Railway will install glass doors and windows at the chief ticket inspector's office so that the goings-on within are clearly visible, after a ticketless commuter was assaulted by a travelling ticket examiner (TTE) at Kurla station.

Apr 25 2015 : The Times of India (Mumbai)

CCTVs planned after Kurla TTE assaults commuter

Manthan K Mehta & Nitasha Natu

Mumbai: TNN





Central Railway will install glass doors and windows at the chief ticket inspector's office so that the goings-on within are clearly visible, after a ticketless commuter was assaulted by a travelling ticket examiner (TTE) at Kurla station.Navroz Charania (36), a hotel employee, was travelling from Kanjurmarg to Kurla when the TTE, Anand Singh, caught him on Wednesday . He took away Charania's cell phone and allegedly hit him on his face inside the chief ticket inspector's (CTI) office.The Kurla GRP has registered a case against Singh but has made no arrest yet.
CR general manager S K Sood said Singh had been suspended.
“Apart from replacing the doors and windows with transparent ones, we will get CCTVs installed. The footage can be used as evidence if commuters complain of misbehaviour by ticket-checking staff.“
“Commuters caught ticketless are taken to the CTI's office on the pretext of completing paper work. They are often made to sit for hours if they do not have the cash to pay the penalty . The goings-on inside the CTI's office are never known to anyone outside. Certain TTEs take away commuters' cell phones, which is illegal,“ said an activist.
Charania told TOI that Singh was involved in assaulting another commuter in the past few weeks but the commuter did not lodge a police complaint. “I was in a hurry and forgot to buy a ticket.Around 9.30am, I got off on platform 4 at Kurla, when the TTE told me to stop. He took me to the CTI's office and started abusing me as I did not have a ticket. I told him I was willing to pay the fine and he should mind his tongue. He lost his cool and punched me on my face. He kicked me and took away my phone,“ said Charania. Charania was made to wait at the office for half an hour. “A few other TTEs entered the office. Singh had picked up a chair to hit me but noticed his colleagues and stopped. He then left. Later, his co-worker returned my phone,“ added Charania. The other TTEs helped Charania reach the Kurla GRP outpost, where a case of assault was lodged.
Charania was taken to Bhabha Hospital at Kurla as there were bloodstains on his face. “The cops claim they are waiting to procure CCTV footage of the station. Singh is a railway employee and the cops have his address. There should not be any delay in arresting him,“ Charania said.

Attach train if rlys doesn't pay up for land: Court

Apr 14 2015 : The Times of India (Mumbai)

Attach train if rlys doesn't pay up for land: Court

Shimla: TIMES NEWS NETWORK





Two farmers from Himachal Pradesh's Una district may become proud owners of the Delhi-Una Janshatabdi Express on April 16 if a court order is executed.Una's additional district and sessions judge Mukesh Bansal on April 9 ordered the attachment of the train if the railways failed to pay compensation to the two farmers whose land was acquired to lay the Una-Amb track in 1998. The court said if Mela Ram and Madan Lal did not get Rs 8.91 lakh and Rs 26.53 lakh respectively , the train would be stopped at Una station at 5am on April 16 and attached by it. Ram and Lal had moved the court against the delay in payment even after the HP high court had directed the railways in 2013 to pay the money within six weeks. Advocate A K Saini, who represented the farmers, said the railways had acquired the land in 1998, following which the farmers filed a case seeking higher damages. In 2009, the railways too moved court, but in 2011 the district court raised the compensation amount and gave the railways three months to appeal.
But railways moved the HC only in 2013, and it ruled that the sum should be deposited in the court in six weeks. The Delhi-Una Janshatabdi Express could be attached by the district court in Una on April 16 if the railways fails to pay over Rs 35 lakh as compensation to two farmers whose land it had acquired to lay the Una-Amb track. The case has bounced from the lower court to the Himachal Pradesh high court, with the parties filing cases and counter cases. Finally, the HC di rected the railways in 2013 to pay the farmers within six weeks. “But the railways hasn't deposited the amount until now,“ the farmers' advocate A K Saini said.
As the high court had also made it clear that after the lapse of six weeks, the parties would be at liberty to execute the order, the aggrieved farmers moved the lower court. After hearing the plea on April 9, judge Mukesh Bansal ordered the attachment of the Janshatabadi train. “We'd submitted a list of four trains--two passenger, Himachal Express and Janshatabdi--and the court directed to attach the Janshatabdi,“ Saini said.

AGAINST ALL ODDS - Monika More, face of city's travel travails, appears for HSC exam Central Railway

Feb 24 2015 : The Times of India (Mumbai)

Vinamrata Borwankar

| TNN





Girl Who Lost Both Arms After Falling In Platform Gap Fights For Her Dream, Little Has Changed On Most Stations Across WR & CR

Sitting under the shadow of trees at her exam centre in Ghatkopar, Monika More is unfazed by the chaos of parents and students as she continued last-minute revision ahead of her first HSC paper on Monday morning.Over a year after her accident in which she lost both her arms, Monika, a commerce student, appeared for the English paper with assistance from a writer. “She is slowly getting used to the myoelectric arms and can write with it too but can't write a complete paper with it in the stipulated time. We have not attended therapy for the past few months as that would take up a lot of time and there wouldn't be enough time for her to study,“ said her father Ashok, who along with her mother was accompanying Monika to the exam centre at Saraswati Vidyamandir, Ghatkopar.
On January 11 last year, Monika, then 17 years old, was trying to board a local train from Ghatkopar when she fell into a pit on the platform. She lost her arms after coming under the moving train. Soon after, Monika and her family received tremendous public support while she was being treated Parel's KEM hospital and drew a lot of attention to commuter safety at stations.
A nervous Monika said she was confident of what she had studied. “I have been concentrating on preparations for the past two months but I am nervous as I am not writing the papers on my own,“ she said.
Monika's writer is a class XI student of her own college, T D Mehta Junior College of Commerce, Ghatkopar.
Last year, the teenager appeared for her class XI examinations with help from a writer from the hospital's orthopaedic ward.
Besides studying, Monika has been busy answering calls from well wishers. “Right from Saturday, her phone has been ringing constantly. Everyone is sending in wishes for the board exams and we are grateful for that,“ said her mother, Kavita.
When TOI spoke to Monika after the paper, she had already begun preparations for the Hindi paper she will appear for on Tuesday. “The paper was easy and the 10 minutes helped a lot to plan what I wanted to answer.There were instances when I just felt like taking a pen and writing the paper on my own,“ she said.
Apart from resuming training for using her myoelectric arms, Monika is also looking forward to participating in the meetings of the Divisional Railway User's Consultative Committee. “She attended a meeting in the last week of January and the next is scheduled for April. She wants to take contribute to making travel safe,“ said Ashok.
13 killed in rail accidents on Sunday
Thirteen commuters died and 11 others injured in separate railway accidents on Sunday. Five of the deceased, including two women, and one of those injured could not be identified. Of the 24 total mishaps reported, 15 were reported on the Central line.Four mishaps, the highest in a single day, were reported at the Bandra GRP outpost.
`Role as Monika's writer is a huge responsibility'
For first-year junior college student Aishwarya Pawar, being Monika More's writer for the HSC exams meant a lot of responsibility. Seated next to Monika outside the exam centre in Ghatkopar, Aishwarya too browsed through notes for a last-minute revision.
“It is like a rehearsal for me before I write the board exam next year. Like her, I am also nervous about the first paper,“ she said. Aishwarya too is a student of Monika's college. “My teacher, who also teaches Monika, suggested I be her writer for the board exam and I was happy to help. My parents also supported the idea and allowed me to go ahead with it,“ she added.
It is the first time as a writer for the class XI student. “Since it was my first time, we solved a practice paper a day earlier, so we can understand how to do it in the exam centre,“ said Aishwarya.
Finding a writer for the HSC exams had worried Monika and her parents ahead of the exam. “It is not easy to find a writer because class XI students too have their exams soon after the board exams. It is a cause for concern for many parents,“ said Uday Nare, member of the Maharashtra State Board committee.--Vinamrata Borwankar
ARTIFICIAL ARMS BUT TRUE GRIT
MISHAP LAST YEAR
Kurla girl Monika More, then 17, slipped and fell in an uncovered pit while trying to board a CST-bound local from Ghatkopar on the afternoon of January 11, 2014. Two samaritans rushed to her rescue and took her to hospital, even carrying her severed arms to Hospital, which however could not be reattached. The incident gave a whole new dimension to commuter safety as the Railways opened up to the idea of raising platform height
AN INCIDENT WHICH CHANGED HER LIFE
The college student was a spirited dancer before the accident. Certified as an ideal student in school for her neat handwriting and etiquettes,
Monika was known in her locality for her love of drawing mehndi designs. She had opted for commerce as she wanted to become a chartered accountant Monika beat the odds to continue her education after the accident, but she needs to be accompanied by a family member or friend.
She is still getting used to perform daily essential activities like eating, boarding an autorickshaw or bus She is now appearing for her HSC exams with the help of a writer
ADVANCED TECH IN USE
Monika was fitted with myo-electric arms called Variplus, specially imported from Germany at the behest of KEM Hospital doctors. The kit was complete with hands, electric wrist rotator, a battery mounting set and electrodes

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 

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=MIRRORNEW&BaseHref=MMIR/2014/05/11&PageLabel=8&EntityId=Ar00801&ViewMode=HTML

    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