Life on the Local: CAG report shows dark side of Mumbai’s lifeline

According to the data released in the report, of the 33,445 deaths that took place on the railway network across the country between January 2010 and December 2014, over 50 per cent were reported from the Mumbai local train network.

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Most of the people who fell to death from trains were those performing stunts in relatively less-crowded trains. Express

The title of being the ‘city’s lifeline’ sits rather uneasily on Mumbai local trains since the last few years. In some ways, it has turned out to be a life taker. That’s because a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report released last week confirmed that the Mumbai suburban rail network had the largest share in the number of deaths which took place on the railway network across the country. According to the data released in the report, of the 33,445 deaths that took place on the railway network across the country between January 2010 and December 2014, over 50 per cent were reported from the Mumbai local train network.

The average deaths, going by this data, came to a whopping 18 deaths on the rail network across the country, every single day in this period. In Mumbai, the daily death toll stands at nine. Of the total deaths, the CAG report mentioned that most deaths — nearly 59 per cent — in the suburban train network happened while commuters were crossing the railway tracks and trespassing. Nearly, 15 per cent of the deaths were due to passengers falling from running trains, reflecting that “the number of services was not sufficient to cater to the needs of heavy passenger traffic”.

The report pointed to the irony that despite the fact that the number of people using the suburban railway network in Mumbai has been on the rise, the rate at which more trains have been introduced was lower than other sections. The CAG report pointed out that the increase in average train services daily was lower in the Mumbai suburban zone than other railway zones.

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Narendra Patil, Chief PRO, Central Railway, however said the majority of the deaths — nearly 80 per cent — on railways is due to tracks crossing. Even among the 20 per cent, who fell from trains were in mainly those people who were performing stunts in relatively less-crowded trains, Patil claimed. “Few people fall and die on account of being pushed out of the trains due to overcrowding,” Patil told The Indian Express. He said when it came to trespassing, nearly 90 per cent of these cases happened between stations and only 10 per cent happened near railway stations. “Between stations at several spots, there are no bridges to go from east to west. The nine municipal bodies under which these areas fall should construct bridges so that people don’t take short-cuts and cross railway tracks,” Patil said.

He added that even in this group of trespassers, majority are able-bodied males between 18 and 40. “We are trying to sensitise them using several campaigns. There have been sustained efforts made on our part to ensure that we make them realise the risk of crossing tracks to save a few minutes,” Patil said.

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