East Coast Railway (ECoR) is taking various steps to reduce cases of injuries and deaths on railway tracks.
This includes identification of vulnerable spots, better vigil, construction of boundary walls/fencing alongside tracks besides acting against unauthorised trespassing on tracks.
ECoR has identified vulnerable sections near Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Jajpur Keonjhar Road, Brahmapur areas.
In Khurda Road division, these areas are between Jagannathpur and Brahmapur, Brahmapur and Golanthara, Retang and Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar and Mancheswar, Jajpur Keonjhar Yard and Mancheswar Yard .
In Waltair division, the areas are between Visakhapatnam and Gopalapatanam, Vizianagaram and Korukonda, Dusi and Srikakulam and
Simhachalam and Gopalapatnam.
In Sambalpur division, the areas are between Deogaon Road and Sainthala, Sambalpur and Hirakud and Balangir and Loisinga Stations.
Measures to curb trespassing
To minimise trespassing, ECoR has provided boundary/fenciong alongside tracks in the following sections:-
Bhubaneswar-Mancheswar,
Brahmapur-Jagannathpur,
Jajpur Keonjhar Road Yard,
Marripalem between Gopalapatnam-Visakhapatnam
Simhachalam North-Gopalpatnam,
Srikakulam-Urlam,
Tilaru-Urlam,
Vizianagaram-Nellimarla,
Vizianagaram-Korukonda,
Chippurupalli Yard and
Sambalpur-Sambalpur Road Stations.
Construction of boundary walls/fencing or provision of obstructing paths by placing unused concrete sleepers have been sanctioned between
Ranital and Baudpur in Bhadrak area,
Vizianagaram and Gotlam stations,
near Bobbili Station and
Parvatipuram Station areas
Bhubaneswar – Retang,
Vizianagaram-Nellimarla
Gopalpatnam – Visakhapatnam and
Kottavalasa – Pendurti Stations.
ECoR plans to construct wide trenches parallel to railway tracks. This will stop trespassing of animals, pedestrians and bikers.Barricades using rail sleepers and rail posts will e erected to stop two wheelers from crossings with old rails and sleepers placed in a manner to obstruct the pathway to reduce trespassing.
Unauthorised trespassing will be monitored through CCTV, at Nirakarpur Yard, between Tilaru and Urlam, Deogaon Road-Sainthala and between Balangir and Loisinga stations.
ECoR has closed crossings by erecting rail posts and deep trenching parallel to track to obstruct the path ways at some places. Other measures include construction of limited height subways at some locations for whcih ECoR has received the State Government nod.
ECOR is also conducting awareness drives to prevent foot board travel through distribution of leaflets, posters, print and electronic media. Besides, street plays at sensitive locations such as market places/village fairs near sensitive locations is also being done.