Shubham Sahay, a businessman who was travelling from Danapur to Pune to go to his relations on February 15, had a harrowing time as he pushed and nudged by a crowd, leading to three fractured ribs.
“Whereas boarding the practice, I used to be pushed by the gang and fell into the sewerage on the opposite aspect of the practice. Regardless of having a confirmed ticket, I needed to stand for six hours, caught between coaches from Danapur to Prayagraj. Most confirmed ticket holders had been standing within the aisles, whereas unauthorized passengers occupied reserved seats,” he mentioned.
Sahay added that greater than 200 passengers had been crammed into B3 coach, with teams holding onto 5 seats every. “Because the practice reached Buxar, individuals outdoors began throwing stones, breaking one window of our AC coach and one of many rest room. We known as the RPF personnel, however nobody got here to assist. Even the loos had been full of individuals,” he mentioned.
After reaching Pune, Sahay consulted an orthopedic specialist, who confirmed his rib fractures. His expertise highlights the continuing struggles passengers are dealing with amid the huge rush for Mahakumbh Mela.
To stop passengers from dealing with comparable ordeals and to keep away from stampede-like conditions, such because the latest tragedy at Delhi railway station that claimed 18 lives, the Pune Railway division introduced stricter safety measures that got here into impact on Sunday (February 16) for the Pune-Danapur trains.
Because the Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj reaches its closing levels, the inflow of devotees from throughout India continues to develop. Railway officers said that with the surge in passengers travelling for Mahakumbh, complete safety measures, reminiscent of deployment of safety escorts earlier than boarding and an elevated variety of ticket inspectors inside trains, have been applied. Particular trains have been launched, together with further safety preparations to help pilgrims onboard.
The Railway Safety Pressure (RPF) has elevated surveillance at stations. Twenty RPF personnel, together with a nodal officer, have been assigned to handle the state of affairs. Moreover, the variety of ticket inspectors has been elevated to 16 per practice.
Tighter boarding rules
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P.B. Ubale, RPF sub-inspector at Pune station, mentioned separate queues are being organized for basic compartment ticket holders. He emphasised that solely passengers with confirmed tickets will probably be allowed to board.
“On Sunday, as soon as the compartment reached full capability, further passengers had been turned away. Many tried to board sleeper, second-class, and third-class AC coaches as an alternative. Safety personnel had been deployed to test and take away such passengers. RPF officers had been stationed alongside the platform till the final coach departed to take care of order,” he mentioned.
“The Pune RPF has applied an in depth safety plan to make sure secure journey. There’s a steady rush of passengers to Prayagraj, and we’ve taken further steps to reinforce safety for northbound trains,” added Ubale.
A number of movies circulating on social media present passengers damaging trains, throwing stones, pouring water on commuters, and dangerously hanging from practice doorways. To handle these issues, railway officers have assured that basic ticket holders is not going to be allowed to forcibly occupy reserved seats. Ticket inspections will probably be carried out at stations to forestall unauthorized journey.
Trains In direction of Prayagraj
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Presently, seven trains underneath the Pune division are working in the direction of Prayagraj. Moreover, a particular practice (01455 Pune to Mau) with six journeys has been launched. Prepare No. 12149 Pune to Danapur, together with 5 different weekly trains, is taking devotees to Mahakumbh.
