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