Ahead of monsoon, CR holds mock drills at 4 Mumbai stations to prevent stampedes

In order to prevent a second stampede incident at railway stations this monsoon, the Central Railway (CR) will, for the first time, organise mock drills at four stations today. The drill will be organised between 11am and 1pm at Parel, Chinchpokli, Currey Road and Dadar railway stations. The aim of the drill is to control and monitor crowd at the stations.

The drill, a combined effort of the operating, commercial department and railway protection force, will cover aspects including smooth movement of the commuters outside the railway stations, checking on the crowd on the arrival of a train, clearing of the platforms of hawkers moving from one end to other and continuous announcements to disperse queues.

“Extra deployment of staff will be done at crucial locations. The staff will also be sensitised and made aware of crowd control. The drill also helps us identify the passenger movements that will help during monsoon,” said Sachin Bhalode, senior divisional security commissioner, CR.

The increased focus on safety at railway stations, particularly on foot overbridges (FOB) and platforms, comes after the Elphinstone Road station stampede on September 29, 2017 in which 23 people lost their lives. Thirty nine others were injured.

Further, both the central and the western railway are in the final process of cleaning the drains that pass through the railway lines and get clogged up during monsoon. While the most difficult area for railway authorities in this respect has been Sion, CR officials and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) have claimed that regular inspections of the tracks and the drains have been done.