Mumbai: Following the stampede at Elphinstone Road railway station on September 29, the Central and Western railways have jointly formed a five-member team of officials who will visit select stations for a week to observe passenger density and crowd management. Mukul Jain, Divisional Railway Manager, WR, said, “The team will start work from Tuesday, the first working day after the stampede. Surveys will continue for a week.”
The team comprises officials from the Railways’ commercial and engineering department, Railway Protection Force (RPF), BMC and Government Railway Police (GRP). At each of these stations, the team will record the crowd flow pattern, condition of the foot overbridge (FOB) and areas prone to crowding.
According to Railways officials, the team has been picked keeping in mind that immediate decisions can be taken based on the role and responsibility of each department. Atul Srivastav, Chief Security Commissioner, CR, RPF, said, “The team will be visiting the critical stations as part of the survey. The points noted will be discussed in a week’s time and the procedure for finding solutions will begin.”
While the Railways has decided on the 10 most critical railway stations, smaller and less critical ones will also be taken into account. “The possibility of a blame game will be minimised. This will also make the work easier,” a senior official said. Among the stations on the Central Line are Kurla, Parel, Dadar, Ghatkopar and Kalyan, while stations on the Western Line include Elphinstone Road, Dadar, Charni Road, Bandra and Nalasopara. “The team will also work on crowd management,” Mr. Srivastav said.
The team will visit the stations during peak hours or any time when abnormal rush is observed on FOBs, landings, platform areas and the concourse. Professionals will be hired to record the survey on video and take photographs. The team is expected to complete the survey by October 7 and submit its report on October 8.
Meanwhile, the RPF has deployed its staff at the most crowded railway stations during peak hours. After visiting stations for a week, the team will also decide on carrying out structural work like repairing FOBs or deploying extra security personnel. The RPF has also sought extra forces to strengthen security at railway stations.
