By March 31, all un-manned level crossings (ULCs) under the jurisdiction of Khurda Road Division will have been closed.In its bid to reduce mishaps and human casualties, the East Coast Railway has pushed the process of shutting down unmanned crossings across the divisions. By doing away the ULCs ahead of schedule, the Khurda Road Division is set to become the first division in ECoR to achieve the feat.
Khurda Road is the biggest division under ECoR with a total railway network length of 1,700 km. It also happens to be the top earner in Indian Railway.ECoR sources said, as many as 19 unmanned level crossings existed by April 1, 2017 and the railway Board had set 2020 deadline to close them down. However, the Khurda Road Division has successfully implemented the order.
According to available statistics, the division did away with 297 unmanned level crossings between April 2014 and March 2018. Of them, as many as 43 were outrightly closed while 38 crossings were provided with either road under bridge or limited height subways. In case of 27 ULCs, diversion were provided while 189 were manned.
Since rising deaths caused by mishaps are a major cause of concern at the unmanned level crossings, the move to close them are expected to give a boost to safety which has been top on agenda of Indian Railway.
The ECoR sources say that as many as eight persons have died in the last six years in mishaps at unmanned railway crossings under Khurda Road Division. The spate of accidents prompted the Railways to shut down the crossings by 2020.
Since 2014 August, the ECoR sources say, the division has deployed gate mitras and counsellors at 74 vulnerable level crossings to prevent accidents by alerting commuters about approaching trains. Recently, these personnel were made available at the gates round the clock with fluorescent safety jackets.
Safety step
As many as 19 unmanned level crossings existed by April 1, 2017 and the Railway Board had set 2020 deadline to close them down
The decision was aimed at reducing mishaps and human casualties Khurda Road Division is set to become the first division in ECoR to achieve the feat