Courting death on railway tracks

Can anyone crossing the railway tracks fail to take notice of an approaching train? While there is no convincing reason as to how it is possible, that a train, so huge in size, is approaching a person and he/she fails to take notice, statistics available with the Government Railway Police show that hundreds of people die every year while crossing railway tracks in the Twin Cities. As many as 237 people have died this year (from January to September) in the three circles — Secunderabad circle, Hyderabad circle and Kachiguda circle. GRP officials told Expresso that, perhaps, people crossing the tracks “feel” that they would be able to make it to the other end, even as a train is hurtling towards them. But then, they do not and end up getting hit by the train. S Rajasekhar Rao, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Railways, told Expresso that the problem is more in thickly populated areas close to the railway tracks.“People, perhaps, feel that they can cross the track but fail to make it. Busy with their hectic schedules, most of them are in a tearing hurry which results in the mishap,” he says adding that it is always advisable to let the train pass and then cross the track but not at unmanned level crossings. Of the 237 deaths this year, 84 people died while crossing the tracks from various places under the Kachiguda circle followed by 83 in Hyderabad circle while in Secunderabad circle, 70 people died. The officials have identified various spots under these circles as ‘death prone’. In the Secunderabad circle, there are three tracks from Secunderabad to Medchal, Aler and Miryalaguda. In the Kachiguda circle, it is from Kachiguda to Mahbubnagar upto Kurnool town and in the Hyderabad circle — the tracks from Hyderabad to Tandoor. “More deaths are registered from Kachiguda and Hyderabad circles. The reason is that the railway tracks of these two circles pass through congested localities,” said Rajasekhar Rao. Falaknuma in the Kachiguda circle and Necklace Road station near Raj Bhavan are identified as the most dangerous death spots. “We have been organising awareness camps to educate people against crossing the tracks. Due to this, the number of deaths has come down when compared to the last two years,” the DSP said. Another official however felt that there could be some psychological problems related to such deaths. “Logically, it is impossible to believe that someone cannot take notice of a train approaching them. But then, it is happening,” he said. BY MOULI MAREEDU