There are 93 unmanned level crossings (ULCs) in Vijayawada Division of the South Central Railway in Andhra Pradesh and the unfortunate Medak incident has brought to fore the importance of rail officials taking the necessary precautionary steps.
Hundreds of vehicles cross these unmanned gates in Vijayawada, Rajahmundry, Bhimavaram, Visakhapatnam and other railway stations every day and buses operated by several educational institutions form the big chunk.
While questions are being raised about the fitness of the school vehicles, the managements of schools and colleges do not follow certain basic rules, for instance, appointing cleaners on buses to guide the drivers. His job will be to see what is ahead and guide the driver whenever the vehicle crosses bridges, ULCs and other inter-junctions.
The Railway authorities closed 48 ULCs in the last two years and efforts are on to remove at least 22 during the current fiscal year. Speaking to The Hindu on Thursday, SCR Vijayawada Divisional Railway Manager Pradeep Kumar said though there were no major accidents at the unmanned railway gates, they were a major concern to the railways. The management is taking measures to eliminate all the unmanned gates in the division soon.
“The safety department of SCR has arranged counsellors at 17 ULCs, and more such gates would be covered soon. These counsellors will impart training to drivers and villagers on dos and don’ts at the level crossings,” said Mr. Pradeep Kumar.
SCR management is planning to construct Road Over Bridges (ROBs) and Rail Under Bridges (RUBs) and remove the unmanned gates in a phased manner. Public were asked to stop, have a look at both the sides of the tracks, before crossing the gate, he said.