At an unmanned railway level crossing at Aroor - between Alappuzha and Ernakulam - at around 1430h, a superfast train rammed into a car carrying four adults and a 2 year old kid, killing all of them. The mangled remains of the car is a grim reminder that none of the deceased had a chance of saying their last prayers!
The resultant 'tamasha' was replete with the normal reactions one's so familiar with, in our country. The heavier vehicle is always the villain! The local population came in droves, put concrete boulders on the tracks to prevent any further rail movement. Some even chucked stones at another train that came in from the opposite direction and which had nothing to do with the accident. And their justification of their intemperate behaviour:-
(a) The Indian Railways' total disregard to safety measures.
(b) Their repeated requests for the railway level crossing to be manned had gone unactioned.
(c) Thick growth of foliage obscures the view from the entry point of the level crossing of trains
approaching from the north thanks to a curve about a 100 mts prior to it. Had the railways
ensured its periodic trimming, the view would not have been interrupted and the accident
may perhaps, have been avoided.
One could only feel bad at the pitiable state of the passengers travelling in the long distance train who're prevented from reaching their destinations for no fault of theirs. Lack of food and water must have been the consequential problems coupled with the state of uncertainty!
Tailpiece.
Why can't the railways have all its level crossings manned? It would generate job opportunities to many while ensuring safety! And I don't think that it would be too much of a burden on the exchequer, either!! Or are human lives so cheap that they need to perish, every now and then, on these high risk points?
The resultant 'tamasha' was replete with the normal reactions one's so familiar with, in our country. The heavier vehicle is always the villain! The local population came in droves, put concrete boulders on the tracks to prevent any further rail movement. Some even chucked stones at another train that came in from the opposite direction and which had nothing to do with the accident. And their justification of their intemperate behaviour:-
(a) The Indian Railways' total disregard to safety measures.
(b) Their repeated requests for the railway level crossing to be manned had gone unactioned.
(c) Thick growth of foliage obscures the view from the entry point of the level crossing of trains
approaching from the north thanks to a curve about a 100 mts prior to it. Had the railways
ensured its periodic trimming, the view would not have been interrupted and the accident
may perhaps, have been avoided.
One could only feel bad at the pitiable state of the passengers travelling in the long distance train who're prevented from reaching their destinations for no fault of theirs. Lack of food and water must have been the consequential problems coupled with the state of uncertainty!
Tailpiece.
Why can't the railways have all its level crossings manned? It would generate job opportunities to many while ensuring safety! And I don't think that it would be too much of a burden on the exchequer, either!! Or are human lives so cheap that they need to perish, every now and then, on these high risk points?
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