With multiple incidents of Indian Railways’ coaches reported as catching fire and the coming summer season, Indian Railways has launched an awareness and enforcement drive to prevent more cases.
According to a statement by IR, recent fire incidents appear appeared to have been caused by smoking onboard or transportation of inflammable material by the train. To curb such activities, IR has launched an awareness drive from 22nd March 2021.
The organization has instructed various railway zones to act on:
1. Intensive Awareness Drive: Launched awareness drive to educate stakeholders such as railway users and railway/non-railway employees working at stations and in trains. This is to ensure precautions are taken against fire incidents by enforcing the No Smoking rule on IR premises, preventing carriage of inflammable material by rail. Besides, checks are to be conducted in SLRs/VPUs/Leased parcels to detect transportation of inflammable material.
2. Post the massive awareness drive, an intensive & sustained drive should be launched for the following:
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a. Intensive drive may be conducted against smoking in trains and railway premises and violators may be booked under relevant provisions of Railways Act or Tobacco Act. An officer not below the rank of ticket collector of the commercial department or an officer of equivalent rank of operating department or an officer not below the rank of ASI in RPF have been notified as competent to act under the provisions of Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act 2003.
b. Regular checks may be done in trains against carriage of inflammable and explosive goods, including pantry cars (for carriage of LPG cylinders) and violators may be booked under relevant sections of Railways Act.
c. Regular checks may be undertaken in platforms, yards, washing/sick lines, stables coaches to check cases of lighting fire, using sigri for cooking food, collection of inflammable debris among others. The fueling points may also be covered under these checks. Legal action may be taken against the culprits.
d. Checking of parcels booked through Parcel offices/leaseholders may be done to curb chances of booking of inflammable and explosives material.
e. Action against authorized/unauthorized vendors using sigri/stoves in train and at platforms may also be taken.
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