No Gates to Manage Vehicle Movement

No Gates to Manage Vehicle Movement

MEDAK: It is classic case of utter negligence coupled with mere tokenism. Splendid structures have been built to enable the guard posted at this railway level-crossing (RLC) to operate smoothly. But ironically, no gates have been erected to prevent the road traffic getting in the  way of the speeding trains.

The RLC No 240 near the Manoharabad railway station connecting several neighbouring   villages in Toopran mandal had neither guards nor the gates to bar the passage of

vehicles and people until Thursday, when the ill-fated bus carrying schoolchildren got smashed by train in a ghastly accident near Masaipet station, resulting in the death of 14 schoolchildren and the bus driver.

A middle-aged guard, who reported to duty for the first-time at this gate, told Express on Friday that 16 trains passed through this hitherto-unmanned railway level-crossing (URLC) during day and 22 at night. Still worse, he said more than three school buses were using this URLC daily.

‘’Since, no gates have been erected here it is difficult for one guard to stop the traffic coming from two opposite directions. Given that nearly 40 trains cross here one cannot imagine the risk faced by the school buses passing over this URLC in the absence of guards,’’ he said on condition of anonymity.

He said that it was a herculean task for the guards to control the flow of huge traffic by just showing red flags. ‘’Some drivers simply ignore our red flags and drive past,’’ he said while stressing the need for installing the gates there.

Meanwhile, railway engineer Murthy said that the railways would convert the URLC  near Masaipet railway station where the Thursday tragedy occurred into a manned one  by July 31.

Source : The new Indian Express.