Three people, on board 18030 Shalimar Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Express from Howrah, sustained injuries on Sunday morning, when the head (shaft) of a drilling machine being operated by an errant contractor of Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company Limited (CSPDCL), beneath the railway tracks, accidentally hit three air-conditioned coaches of the moving passenger train. Fortunately, no loss of precious life took place in the ill-fated turn of events, which took a full circle, near Urkura station, under jurisdiction of South East Central Railway (SECR) Raipur Division. Thankfully, the train was also moving at slow speed, which minimized the risk of this minor incident into a major tragedy. The spot is situated in the close proximity of Raipur Junction. However, the impact of the drilling machine’s shaft caused severe damage to glass panes of the train’s three AC coaches, including B-4, B-5 and B-6. As a result, three people including one OBHS (On Board Housekeeping Service) staff and two passengers’ sustained injuries from the sharpnels of damaged glass panes of the AC coaches. “The injured individuals were later identified as OBHS staff Narayan Chand Bagh (30), a male passenger Dewari Lal Dhivar (30) and also a 12-year old, who was travelling from Kharagpur to LTT with his family.

 

The minor passenger, who suffered an eye injury in the incident, was sent along with his family by Visakhapatnam-LTT Express, tickets for which were arranged by the railways, whereas two others were rushed to a private hospital for treatment within 5 minutes of the train’s arrival to Raipur Junction after administering them first-aid by team of doctors where their condition was better,” stated an official communiqué issued here by SECR on Sunday late evening. According to the communiqué, the preliminary enquiry has found the incident as fallout of gross and sheer negligence on the part of CSPDCL contractor, who undertook the drilling work beneath the tracks, sans an official intimation to SECR and requisite safety measures. “Soon after the news incident was received, a team of senior SERC officials from Raipur Railway Division, including Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Sanjeev Kumar, Additional DRM (Infra) Ashish Mishra and Additional DRM (Operations) R K Sahu rushed to Raipur station. They were also accompanied by other key personnel of Raipur station, including Commercial Inspector, Senior Publicity Inspector, Railway Protection Force (RPF), who swung into rescue operation moments after the Shalimar-LTT Express arrived at Raipur station at 10.20 am.

 

“Only after the injured passengers were duly attended by the team of doctors, which sent two of them to a private hospital, the train was signalled to move ahead to its further journey at 11.20 pm,” it affirmed. Later, as per the communiqué, DRM Sanjeev Kumar also reached the private hospital, where he in person interacted with the two injured passengers as well as their family members present there. The DRM also directed the medical team at the hospital to ensure best treatment and catering arrangements for the injured. The DRM also instructed Chief Medical Superintendent (CMS) to ensure proper and prompt treatment of the passengers, apart from directing Senior Divisional Commercial Manager (SrDRM) to expedite the process of releasing ex-gratia amount for injured. Hereafter, a team of Safety and Divisional officials as well as another team of officers from headquarters also took up the inspection of the incident site, even though an offence under relevant provisions of law was registered by Railway Protection Force (RPF). “During the inspection, the railway authorities also summoned CSPDCL officials to the spot for seeking first-hand information.

 

The CSDPCL officials admitted that the errant contractor was dangerously negligent as he failed to adhere to requisite safety norms and standards. A detailed report of the incident will be furnished after a thorough probe,” the communiqué added. The SECR officials release also categorically termed the news of falling of railway pole on moving train as misleading and baseless. “Instead, the drilling machine’s shaft surfaced up from the underground and came in contact with the moving train, thereby hitting the AC coaches and injuring the passengers,” it clarified. Moreover, of all the three passengers, only Dewari Lal Dhivar, was found eligible for receiving an ex-gratia amount of Rs 50,000, which was handed over to his father Khaman Lal Dhiwar, at the hands of Assistant Commercial Manager Avinash Kumar Anand. DRM Sanjeev Kumar has ordered the concerned officers to investigate this incident and directed everyone to ensure that such incidents do not recur in the future while safety and security of passengers remains the topmost priority. “Also, the Headquarters has ordered officers to hold a Senior Administrative Grade (SAG) level inquiry,” it added.