Report by Kamgar Ekta Committee (KEC) correspondent
After the 9 June train accident at Mumbra station of Thane district, Maharashtra, in which at least four passengers were killed and many were injured, citizens and passengers of Mumbai’s local trains are saying ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
Commuting by the overcrowded Mumbai locals is a daily hellish experience for lakhs of citizens. Even railway workers and their families have to undergo this daily suffering. Due to the excessive crowding in trains and stations and the lack of a sufficient number of pedestrian overbridges, on the average more than 7 passengers are killed daily. This does not happen in any other city in the world!
Various people’s organizations supported by workers’ unions have started a Railway Suraksha Abhiyan to mobilize citizens for the common demand of a safe railway system. As part of this campaign, activists of these organizations are distributing leaflets outlining urgent demands.
Chief demands include converting all 12-car trains to 15-car trains and increasing the number of new trains by at least 50%. Other demands are for increasing the frequency of trains by installing the appropriate signalling system, recruiting the required railway workers to handle the load and for appointing station masters at every station. They also demanded that a timetable should be publicised to implement this demand on a war footing.
On 15 June, activists distributed thousands of leaflets highlighting these demands at Thane and Dombivli stations, stations that are infamous for overcrowding and a high number of deaths every year. On 16 June, leaflets were distributed at Kalwa, an important and crowded station but one that has no station master and hence no provision of prompt relief to victims of train accidents.
At all stations, the leaflets were received with enthusiasm, with many passengers stopping to ask how they can join the campaign. Several people recounted their harrowing experiences of traveling during rush hours, and many expressed their willingness not only to share the leaflets with their friends but also to organize similar distribution programs in their neighbourhoods. It is clear that people are deeply concerned about their safety as well as the safety of their families and friends who travel by local trains every day.
The Railway Suraksha Abhiyan includes members of the Railway Pravasi Suraksha Sangharsh Samiti: Kamgar Ekta Committee, Lok Raj Sangathan, Purogami Mahila Sangathan, Ladaku Garment Mazdoor Sangh, Sangharsh Konkan Railway Pravasi Sanghatan (Diva), Dombivali-Thakurli-Kopar Pravasi Sanghatan, Diva – Panvel Pravasi Sanghatan, Tejaswini Mahila Railway Pravasi Sanghatan, Janata Raja Mitra Mandal (Diva), Sindhudurg Jilha Rahivasi Sangh (Diva), and Fatima Shaikh Study Circle (Mumbra). All these organizations are committed to continue to intensify this campaign, with more leaflet distribution and other programs planned in the upcoming days.
Railway workers’ unions are also supporting this campaign. These include All India Guards Council (AIGC), All India Loco Running Staff Association (AILRSA), All India Station Masters Association (AISMA), All India Railway Track Maintainers Union (AIRTU), Indian Railway Loco Runningmens Organisation (IRLRO), All India Pointsmen’s Association (AIPMA), and Indian Railway Signal and Telecommunications Maintainers Union (IRSTMU).
The Mumbra accident has convinced many that such a campaign is more urgent than ever. Passengers, workers and all citizens should unitedly and loudly declare: Enough is enough!