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Nellore rail tracks turn into death zones; fatalities on rise
The railway tracks in Nellore are turning into death zones for people who face accidents and commit suicides. Surprisingly, the number is equal to that of deaths on the national highway due to accidents. The accident attempts were being basically made at isolated places where vigil by the track inspection staff is minimal.
Nellore: The railway tracks in Nellore are turning into death zones for people who face accidents and commit suicides. Surprisingly, the number is equal to that of deaths on the national highway due to accidents. The accident attempts were being basically made at isolated places where vigil by the track inspection staff is minimal.
According to reports, out of a total 470 deaths registered during 2016-17 in the district, 333 were accidents on the tracks. Due to increasing number of deaths on the railway tracks, staff members were facing difficulty in identifying the deceased for handing over the bodies to their family members. Other cases were found to be accidents who travel on footboard and reckless running along with the running trains.
As many as 333 persons died falling from running trains under Kavali, Nellore and Gudur railway police station limits during last one year and amongst them, more than 100 persons committed suicides on the rail tracks due to various reasons. Around 40 per cent of the deaths were due to a fall from a running train or while trying to alight from a running train. Suicides on the tracks were reportedly due to family disputes, financial issues, love failure and other reasons.
Unlike other suicide attempts, an attempt by jumping in front of a train or on tracks results in 99.9 per cent of the fatalities. With the increasing number of accidents, railway staff members were facing difficulty to identify the dead bodies as they get mutilated. Consequently, only 182 dead bodies were unidentified amongst them.
A senior official from the Government Railway Police said, ‘We are facing challenges to identify the dead bodies of the deceased failing to get proper evidences along with them when they commit suicides on the tracks. In some cases, families of the victims are also not showing any interest to collect dead bodies of their kin due to unidentified conditions.’
Officials said that other cases were due to negligence while travelling on the trains. Some people sit at the door leaving their legs on the footboard and sometimes they hit the platforms and in some cases the door hits the passengers while the train moving fast leading to fatalities.
“We are unable to identify persons who die in accidents in some cases due to the absence of CCTV cameras in the premises of railway stations. Even though the facility is highly needed, there has been no active consideration by the Railway Ministry,” said a GRP official.
By P V Prasad
