New Delhi Railway Station stampede Railways puts focus on lack of access control to stations

Tragic stampede at New Delhi Railway Station highlights lack of access control, unregulated ticketing, prompting calls for change.

The tragic stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station where about 18 passengers lost their lives has again put the focus on the lack of access control to stations and unregulated issuance of unreserved tickets leading to unmanageable crowds.

Though the Railways Ministry has announced its intent to come out with new crowd management control measures post the incident, senior railway officials said that it may not work, unless someone bells the cat on the above mentioned two issues.

“The incident was waiting to happen considering the number of trains being run, publicity for the religious event and enthusiasm among the public. It is not as if railway staff are not trained to tackle large crowd, but in this instance, it happened in a flash,” said a senior official, seeking anonymity.

People with luggage toppling over those sitting on the foot over bridge steps is, perhaps, symptomatic of the conditions afflicting all the major stations, which have become a haven for homeless people, shelter for daily wagers, vagabonds, rag pickers, beggars, drunks, drug addicts and so on.

“It has become dangerous not only for the passengers but also for the railway staff at the Secunderabad station. There have been instances of loco pilots on shunting duties targetted by anti-social elements on their return after taking the engines/trains to the yards for cleaning,” informed another railway official.

For an “airport” kind of station in the making, lack of access control measures are quite glaring as anyone can enter the platforms one and 10 through the unrestricted open spaces a little distance away and through “gaps” in the walls/fences. Some officials think the RPF should be empowered to prevent unreserved coaches to be packed like sardines, heavily fine ticketless travellers, allow passengers into designated platform an hour before the train comes into the platform, segregate incoming and outgoing passengers, etc.

“We will sure have better access control once the stations redevelopment is done here and few other main stations. We also do take up special drives to round up anti-social elements at the cost of our staff being attacked and produce them before the courts, but what can be we do beyond this social issue,” asked another senior official.