Who is responsible for 106 deaths in 10 days?

The number of casualities rises during the Ganesh festival due to overcrowding in suburban trains.

The fast paced lifestyle of Mumbai is taking a heavy toll on its residents. Mumbai’s local trains which are known as the city’s lifeline is turning into a death trap for commuters. On an average seven to eight persons die while commuting or crossing the railway tracks and equal number of them sustains injuries. Since last ten days 106 persons have lost their lives due to railway accidents and 100 persons have succumbed to injuries. Out of the 106 lives lost 14 are women. Thus often transport experts have raised concern over rising number of accidents in the railways. Moreover, it has been observed that the casualties rise during the Ganesh festival.

Even though the railways have taken several steps like constructing fences near hutments close to railway tracks but accidents continue to occur. To deter commuters from crossing railway tracks the railways have also constructed new foot overbridges and subways in several stations but accidents are rising. Thus on an average around 3,500 to 4000 people die due to railway accidents every year and equal number of them sustain injuries. This means every day ten lives are lost. 106 persons have lost their lives and 100 persons have sustained injuries from 16^th to 25 September on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. Thus 200 persons have met with accidents since last 10 days. The rising accidents have become a major cause of concern for the railways. On 20th September, about 14 people died on Mumbai suburban rail network due to Ganpati festival.

Every day, the Mumbai suburban railway runs 2,905 services (or train trips), ferrying 7.5 million commuters.  The Western Railway ferries 3.5 million passengers on its 1,305 services and the Central Railway’s 1,600 services carry 4 million commuters; making the Mumbai suburban railway the world’s busiest.

“The basic reason why people are dying like animals is that railway officers have entirely failed to comprehend the hardships of the commuters…and the basic reason behind this (inability to comprehend the problems) is that officers never travel in local trains” said activist Anis Khan.

“The railways should increase the number of train services plying between Churchgate and Borivali and Churchgate and Virar especially during peak hours. Often people stand on the footboard of overcrowded trains as they lose their balance and fall on the railway tracks. Many times the injured persons lies unattended on the tracks for a long period of time which results into his death due to lack of first aid” said Harsh Sethi a Kandivali resident.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a railway officer said quite a few of the victims are youngsters who get killed while performing stunts.

The traffic on Mumbai Western line was disrupted two weeks back as the Mumbai suburban train derailed between Andheri station and Vile Parle.