The South Western Railway Women’s Welfare Organisation honoured a “little saviour” for averting a train accident and saving the lives of hundreds of passengers.
Siddesh, son of Manjunath, a hotel owner residing at Avaragere village on the outskirts of Davanagere, had averted a railway accident on March 15 this year.
The nine-year old had a habit of watching trains. He noticed a crack in the railway track on that day. Sensing danger, Siddesh alerted his father and others. When they were wondering how to stop an approaching train, Siddesh took off his red colour T-shirt, tied it to a stick and waved to catch the attention of the train driver. The driver applied brakes and alerted the higher authorities after inspecting the damaged track.
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While several other organisations have honoured Siddesh, the state government is contemplating recommending his name for the bravery award.
President of the organisation Neelima Saxena honoured him with a cash prize and lauded his presence of mind.
General manager of South Western Railway Pradeep Kumar Saxena handed over 150 scholarships and cash prizes worth Rs. 3.9 lakh to children of railway employees, while Neelima Saxena gave away 42 cash prizes to winners of various competitions.
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Siddesh averted a train accident near Davangere