Railway gangmen's timely act averts mishap in TN

Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, July 14 (UNI) The timely detection of a rock found on the rail tracks at Periyar Nagar between Srirangam and Tiruchirapalli railway stations by two railway gangmen during routine patrolling today averted a mishap.

Railway Police sources said the gangmen during their pre-dawn patrolling, found a rock on the railway tracks, barely two hours ahead of the arrival of the Chennai-Tiruchirapalli superfast Rockfort Express Train. They immediately alerted the railway officials, who in turn rushed to the spot and removed it from the tracks.

Union Minister for Environment and Forest A Raja and Karthik Chidambaram, son of Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram, were among other VIPS, who were on the train.

Though the railway officials ruled out the possibilities of any major mishap or derailment caused to the train by the rock by virtue of its small size, some eye-witnesses said the passengers had a miraculous escape.

Police suspect the handiwork of some miscreants. At the backdrop of the recent serial bomb blasts in Mumbai that rocked the entire nation, sabotage attempt on the railway tracks aimed at the train, had caused anxiety in the minds of the public.

Top railway and police officials are conducting inquiries in the incident.

UNI GSM VD KN1451