Local train death cases alarming: High Court seeks report from Railway committees
The Bombay High Court on Friday termed the situation 'alarming' after taking note of the June 9 incident in which eight passengers fell from two local trains passing each other, resulting in five deaths.The division bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sandeep Marne, while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by daily commuter Yatin Jadhav, directed the Railways to provide detailed information on two expert committees — one specifically investigating the June 9 incident between Mumbra and Kalwa stations, and another high-level panel focused on the broader issue of commuter safety.advertisementThe court asked the railway authorities to submit the committees' recommendations along with implementation timelines. 'You have to take action to ensure that this should not happen in the future. This should not happen,' said Chief Justice Aradhe during the hearing.
Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Anil Singh, representing the Railways, informed the court that a multidisciplinary committee headed by a senior divisional safety officer has been constituted to investigate the incident. The report from this committee is awaited."Apart from this, looking into the concerns about the safety of daily commuters, the railway has set up a high level committee, which is a separate committee from the Mumbra incident, and the entire object of the committee is 'zero death mission'. This is on the entire Central and Western Railway. That committee is already working and a number of steps have already been taken,' Singh told the court.advertisementHowever, the bench expressed grave concern over the continuing accidents. 'No, but obviously, these steps taken by you are clearly not sufficient. What should be done?' the Chief Justice asked.Justice Marne cited railway data from 2024, which recorded 3,580 deaths — an average of 10 fatalities per day. 'This is an alarming situation. Ten deaths every day! This is your own data,' he said. He acknowledged a 46 per cent reduction compared to 2009 but emphasised that the numbers remain unacceptable.Chief Justice Aradhe underlined the need for immediate and effective action. 'What is required to be done, do it. This can't be accepted. The doors should not be open and you should ensure that there is no scope for falling,' he said.ASG Singh then told the court that the railways are working towards that and have already undertaken work like fencing of railway tracks so that trespassing can be curtailed. 'Construction of fencing between two railway tracks is also being looked into. We have shifted stalls from stations to prevent overcrowding and we have increased the number of coaches.'The bench has scheduled the next hearing of the PIL for July 14.Must Watch
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