Need for urgent measures to curb accidents at level crossings

Ahmedabad, June 22 (UNI) Railway officials today expressed concern at the growing numer of accidents taking place at the level crossings and called for urgent measures to curb them.

Addressing a seminar on 'Rail Safety at Railway crossings' here, Western Railways Additional General Manager Vivek Sahay said road users at the level crossings (LCs) must be extra careful since trains cannot be stopped easily and within a short distance. Trains, therefore, have been given ''the right of way'', he said.

''The drivers of road vehicles will have to be more responsible.

It is regrettable that there have been five accidents in the state in the past three months,'' he stressed.

He said some of the LCs where Train Vehicle Units are very less should be closed or clubbed with an adjoining one. He also emphasised on the need to construct road overbridges and underbridges in lieu of LCs where train traffic is more than one lakh.

''In Gujarat, there were 135 such LCs and of this only 16 were sanctioned with overbridge or underbridges,'' he pointed out.

In his address, Chief Safety Officer Brijesh Dixit said a chapter on safety at LCs should be incorporated in text books to make people aware of the need for safety measures.

He said the WR has been trying to spread awareness through TV, radio, cinema slides, jingles, pamphlets and posters.

UNI MMG SSS MIR PC2311