12 April,2011 06:52 AM IST | | Shrikant Khuperkar and Vedika Chaubey
Railways are levelling platform slopes in order to prevent passengers from easily descending onto the tracks
The city's local rail network, touted as the lifeline of the busy and bustling city of Mumbai, ironically claims about 10 to 12 lives on an average everyday. But the dearly departed have none to blame but their own negligent, reckless antics.
A majority of these casualties meet their rude deaths while hastily trying to cross the railway tracks. The railways have taken several steps to create awareness among passengers, but all hasty feet make for deaf ears.
Level plane
At the Central Railway's Mulund station, a stationmaster has taken it upon himself to address the hazardous situation, and craftily arranged for the slopes of the platforms to be levelled. The result: passengers find it almost impossible to display their athletic prowess by sliding down the slope onto the tracks.
In 2010, the Central network from Kurla to Mulund, witnessed accidents that resulted in 284 deaths and 93 injured passengers. In 2009, the death toll was a similar 286, while 96 sustained injuries. But things changed quite drastically for the better after the slopes were leveled.
R R James, inspector-in-charge, GRP, Mulund, said, "We have not witnessed a single accident after the slope was leveled. Earlier, passengers could easily cross the tracks because of the slopes. The passengers are finding it difficult to jump without the slope, and are refraining from crossing the tracks in general."
Brainwave
"We enacted plays, RPF police officers went on regular bandobast, adopted many innovative means, but the passengers seem to be having a short-term-memory when it comes to ensuring their personal safety," said an official of the central railway.
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"Finally, the stationmaster at Mulund had a brainwave and decided to level the slope at both the CST and Kalyan ends, on the surmise that this would minimise the number of daredevils crossing the tracks. The work was started on March 13 for the platform at CST end.
Miraculously, this trick yielded immediate results, almost instantaneously stopping incidences of accidental deaths on the platforms.
This move has been welcomed by passengers all and sundry. Madhu Kotian, president of the Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh, said, "This is an original and effective idea. We have also received sanction to construct a foot-over-bridge at Mulund station.
Leveling the slope is not a permanent solution. Sooner or later, a passenger will put some large stones near the platform and use it to descend onto the tracks."
