The railway authorities are bracing for the onset of south west monsoon which tends to throw traffic out of gear due to incessant rains in the ghat sections and reviewed their monsoon preparedness.
This has been done to ensure that loss to railway property, life and train services can be avoided and special attention has been paid to Ghat sections in Hubballi (Castle Rock to Kulem) and Mysuru (Sakleshpur to Subrahmanya Road) which witness heavy to very heavy rainfall every monsoon.
The South Western Railway General Manager Sanjeev Kishore reviewed all the works related to monsoon preparedness on Wednesday and this included ensuring the completion of certain tasks like cleaning of drainage, side drains, catch water drains, bridge vent ways and drainage arrangements for Road under Bridges (RUBs), removal of loose boulders, cutting or trimming of trees and installation of porter cabins.
A release said all joints have been attended properly, drainage of water from the track area particularly in yards has been ensured to avoid any stagnation of water while drains have been made with proper slopes and clear outlets so that rains may not affect the operation of trains.
In addition, there was inspections of vulnerable locations and bridges by the section engineers concerned and precautionary measures were in place. The Chief Bridge Engineer of SWR has reviewed the monsoon preparedness in all the 3 divisions, the release added.
The officials also conducted a survey for tree and cutting and trimming of vulnerable trees existing in the vicinity of the tracks.
In addition, stock of boulders, stone dust/gravel/musk have been kept ready in wagons and stabled near flood-prone locations to arrest landslips, breaches, flooding etc with special focus on Tinaighat, Kulem, Sakleshpur and Subrahmanya Road, according to the release.
Excavators have been stationed at Londa, Castle Rock, Caranzol, Dudhsagar, Sonalium, Kulem, Sakleshpur and Subrahmanya Road for quick restoration and clearing of track if there is landslip, the release said. In addition, Accident Relief Train and Accident Relief Medical Van have been kept ready apart from road vehicles and motor trolleys for swift transport of relief materials and men to the site, if required. The review meeting, which was conducted in the virtual mode, was attended by DRMs of Mysuru, Hubballi and Bengaluru divisions.
