ECR prepares a comprehensive disaster management plan

Patna, Jun 15 (UNI) The East Central Railway(ECR) has joined hands with the Army and Bihar district administration to initiate a fool proof disaster management programme of the railways.

ECR sources here today said the recent tie-ups would go a long way in providing immediate relief and rescue operations in the event of any train accident or any other disaster on the tracks.

In order to ensure greater safety to passengers travelling along all the five divisions of ECR namely Danapur, Dhanbad, Sonepur, Samastipur and Mughalsarai, the railways had prepared a list of emergency provisions like immediate availability of fully-equipped army doctors, para-medical staff, ambulances, fire brigades and even a helicopter to transport emergency patients to nearest hospitals.

''Arrangements had been made to set up fully computerised control rooms at every major accident site, within the shortest possible time with the help of the Army,'' the sources said, adding that they would be coordinating the relief operations the control room continually interacting with the Railway Board officials and the media to share the latest information with them.

Claiming that such steps would perhaps be the first of its kind in the entire Indian Railway system, the sources said the necessity for such a step was felt and was being implemented in the wake of tremendous growth in both passenger and freight traffic passing through the ECR.

Though there was no exact figure of such stupendous growth, it was estimated that more than a hundred lakh passengers and over 500 lakh tonnes of cargo were being carried by the ECR every year recording their 15 to 20 per cent growth annually.

Referring to the 'improved' work culture among the railway employees in the state, the sources quoting ECR General Manager Girish Bhatnagar claimed that timely running of long distance and local trains and their overall cleaniness had been greatly improved despite the increase in the numbers.

Keeping this in mind, the ECR had taken maximum effort in ensuring greater safety and security in its vast network spreading over 1,500 km within the zone and left no stone unturned to achieve the goal within a specific timeframe.

''With the recent tie-ups, the ECR is now fully geared up to meet any eventuality most effectively at the shortest possible time,'' the sources emphasised.

UNI