Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Horrible train tragedy' that was published in Newsband

Horrible train tragedy

Amritsar train tragedy has shocked many. People throng railway tracks where the train mishap took place at Joda Phatak area, in Amritsar on October 20 2018. People demand action against Dasara organisers. They want train driver booked. 59 Dasara revellers who had spilled on to the railway tracks while watching the burning of a Ravan effigy were mowed down by a Jalandhar-Amritsar train. The Government Railway Police have registered an FIR against ‘unidentified persons.’

Why the LCD/LED screen was allowed to be erected on the ground wall facing the tracks. It was an open invitation to tragedy. It is surprising that no organization comes forward to find faults with the way the event was organised. People think holding a religious ceremony at any place and time is unquestionable, no matter what disaster it may bring. In the name of religion the pilgrims break traffic rules, and on some occasions meet with tragic accidents. It is time Government took strong action to stop certain traditions in the greater interest of public safety and order in the society.

The accident in Punjab in which more than 50 people have died and more than 60 have got injured is shocking. People are demanding action against the train driver. How can the driver be responsible? He did not know about the crowd in the tracks. It was night with no lights. He was driving a high speed train. He did not pass any red lights. Do not make him a scapegoat.

First of all why was there a celebration on the railway track? Why didn't the authorities inform people that it is risky to celebrate there? People and local administration are only responsible.

However, it was an avoidable tragedy. The magisterial inquiry ordered by the Punjab government should examine the actions of the revenue authorities and the police in organising the event, and whether rules were ignored to favour the organisers who claimed proximity to some politicians.

Major religious festivals in India are often overshadowed by deadly incidents such as stampedes and fires, ranging from the terrible toll of 249 deaths at the Chamunda Devi temple stampede in Jodhpur in 2008, to the railway station stampede during the Kumbh Mela at Allahabad five years later in which 36 people died. The National Disaster Management Authority has responded to these horrors by creating a guide for State governments and local bodies, laying down a clear protocol to be followed for mass gatherings and festivals. Why this was not followed by the Amritsar authorities?

A campaign to educate the public that railway tracks cannot be treated as commons, and vigorous enforcement, will reduce the probability of such incidents. The Railways should prevent trespass in heavily built-up areas by barricading them.