mid-day editorial: Dear WR, don't just mind the gap, remove it

After years of complaints from the Parsi community, the railways authorities are finally raising the height of the platform at Udvada station, which is the gateway to the holiest pilgrimage site for the Zoroastrian community.

As this paper reported yesterday, however, this action has come too late for Parsi museum caretaker Aspi Sepoy, who lost both his legs after he fell under a train at the station. Over the years, several people have been injured because of the gap between the platform and trains at Udvada station. This is a problem particularly for senior citizens, who commonly make pilgrimages to the fire temple.

Western Railway has set an October-end deadline for the platform raising work. While that is some relief for the Parsi community, it is still important that the railways authorities continually look into this problem across every station.

We have seen so many injuries, and even fatalities in extreme cases, caused by the deadly platform gap. The authorities need to be more proactive and close the gap. The officials must act on petitions from people, or they will be up for a rude awakening if more accidents occur.

Having said that, it also falls on the commuters to be doubly careful. Always be alert while boarding trains. Catching a moving train, even if it has just started, is an absolute no-no. It is better to let the train go and catch the next one, even if the frequency is extremely bad. No amount of time spent waiting is worth your limbs or your life.

Let that train go, do not think you can jump on, or hold on to handles, or be pulled up by another well-meaning commuter. Do not underestimate the speed or power of a moving train. As for the railways, they need to do periodic checks and be much more alive to situations and difficulties of commuters.