A special holding area at 60 stations experiencing high footfalls, a separate crowd management manual and awareness among passengers to not sit at stairs are among the measures being taken by the Railways to prevent any untoward incident, Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Monday.
The initiatives are being taken in the wake of a stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station Saturday evening which killed 18 passengers.
Railways’ crowd-control plan
While interacting with media persons at the Rail Bhawan in Delhi, Vaishnaw said the Railways had identified 60 stations which normally receive a high footfall and decided to make permanent or temporary holding areas outside the platforms to regulate the flow of passengers.
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“Sixty stations such as New Delhi, Patna, Surat, Bengaluru, Coimbatore have been identified for creating a holding area to manage the flow of passengers inside the station,” Vaishnaw said, according to PTI. “They will be allowed to enter the platform according to departure of their trains so that the station areas don’t get overcrowded.”
He said that such holding areas are in place in Prayagraj, where the Maha Kumbh is taking place, and the flow of passengers has been regulated successfully so far.
Vaishnaw further said that passengers’ awareness of not sitting on stairs or anywhere else that can block the free movement of other travellers can also help significantly prevent incidents like the one that occurred at the New Delhi Railway Station.
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“We cannot fine the passengers for sitting on the stairs. The only way is to create awareness is through the media that it can congest the necessary movement of other travellers,” Vaishnaw said.
He also said that the Railways will create a separate crowd management manual by merging all existing provisions, and a Standard Operating Procedure will be developed to handle passenger rush during festivals and special occasions.
“We will have to make a comprehensive manual for crowd management,” the railway minister said.
On New Delhi station stampede probe
Meanwhile, on a question whether any action has been taken against officials for the stampede at New Delhi railway station, Vaishnaw said that any action will be against the principle of natural justice till the time the inquiry report comes.
“I have maintained a principle of ‘We Fail’. So far as action is concerned, we haven’t taken any action against any official as we are waiting for the inquiry committee to give its report. This is in line with the principle of natural justice,” he said, according to PTI.
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On a question on the time frame for the committee to give its report, the railway minister said no time period has been fixed as it will put undue pressure on the committee members.
A two-member high-level committee is probing the stampede incident at the New Delhi railway station.
The committee comprises of Pankaj Gangwar, principal chief security commissioner and Nar Singh, principal chief commercial manager of Northern Railway.