Railway electrification in coastal Karnataka has been affected by repeated snapping of copper cables of the newly drawn overhead electrification (OHE) system between Mangaluru and Udupi over the last one month.
Apart from causing considerable loss to the Railways, this act of miscreants, who also steal portions of the snapped cables from contact and holding lines, endangers their lives as well as that of train passengers, say authorities.
As the OHE system is energised during night to prevent theft (anti-theft charging with 200 V current), those who attempt to cut the cables could get electrocuted. Moreover, a dangling cable has the potential to derail a train if it gets entangled with the loco or any coach, officials say.
Four incidents
While Southern Railway (SR) is drawing OHE line between Mangaluru Junction and Panambur, Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. (KRCL) is continuing the OHE line from SR’s border all along its network till Roha, Maharashtra. They have been set a deadline of December 2020 by the Prime Minister to complete the electrification.
The first incident was reported near Maravoor about a month ago under SR jurisdiction. It was followed by a similar theft at Haleyangadi on September 18, near the Surathkal road overbridge on September 21, and at Nandikur in Udupi district on September 27, all under KRCL jurisdiction.
While miscreants cut cables for lengths ranging from 100 m to 150 m and steal portions of them, the railway authorities have to replace the cables for the entire length of the “wiring span”, which varies from 900 m to 1.5 km. According to officials, the cost goes up to ₹20 lakh a span.
Besides causing loss, the act delays completion of the electrification process. The electrification of the Thokur–Bijur section of KRCL, which is expected to be completed by October 15, might be delayed by a week, officials say. Railway authorities have filed complaints with the jurisdictional police and are awaiting the outcome of the investigation. Meanwhile, they have appealed to people to desist from such adventures in the interest of their own safety as well as that of hundreds of passengers.
Investigation
Srinivas Gowda, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mangaluru North, told The Hindu th at the police were helping the Railway Protection Force in their investigation. The police have identified suspects in the Maravoor incident, he said.
