2 min readMumbaiSep 24, 2013 01:15 AM IST
First published on: Sep 24, 2013 at 01:15 AM IST
Mumbai’s lifeline — local trains — not only claim the lives of thousands of commuters every year but also that of the gangmen who toil hard to maintain the railway tracks on the busy suburban section of Central Railway (CR) and Western Railway (WR) — data provided by CR and WR reveals.
Between 2009 and 2013,139 gangmen lost their lives,the data shows. Of the total number of deaths,91 per cent deaths have been reported by CR.
This year,while 21 gangmen died after being knocked down on the Mumbai division of CR,three gangmen died on the Mumbai division of WR. Last year,39 deaths were reported on CR and two on WR.
According to railway officials,the majority of deaths occur due to lack of space between the tracks.
With increase in rail traffic,the number of trains have gone up substantially. This necessitates an increase in maintenance work on the tracks. Also,track dividers between railway tracks,to prevent trespassing,make it difficult for gangmen to stand between tracks when trains are passing by on both sides.
On June 21,gangman Balkrishna Chinaudiyar failed to get to a safe spot and was hit by a train between Andheri and Jogeshwari stations.
His son said,“It was around 11 am when my father was undertaking maintenance work. Suddenly,three trains arrived and my father failed to dodge on time.”
Gangmen usually have to reside in makeshift huts along the railway lines. As a result there are instances when they have to cross the tracks frequently. Many deaths have been reported while crossing tracks,said some gangmen.
In January 2011,47-year-old gangman Rana Ganji who stayed in a makeshift shelter along the tracks,provided by railways,died while trying to cross the tracks.
According to a railway officer,another reason behind the deaths is the lack of flagmen who are supposed to warn gangmen about approaching trains. Railway officials said flagmen,who are senior gangmen,are engaged in the domestic work of supervisory-level officials.
There are 310 vacancies in Mumbai division of WR and 449 on CR for gangmen.
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