New Delhi: The stampede near Mumbai’s Elphinstone railway station has shook the government into action and railway officials will now feel the heat.
On Saturday, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal chaired a meeting of the Railway Board in Mumbai and took some key decisions aimed at making the Mumbai local trains safer. Among them was the decision transfer 200 officials at the head office to the field. Moreover, CCTV cameras would be installed in all Mumbai suburban trains.
“200 officers will be relocated from the headquarters as field staff to strengthen ground operations and project implementation,” Goyal tweeted.
The stampede claimed the lives of 22 people and injured at least 30 at a foot overbridge between Mumbai’s Elphinstone Road and Parel stations on Friday morning.
The incident forced Goyal, who was in Mumbai on a pre-scheduled visit, to cancel his programme and order a high-level inquiry. He said on Saturday that foot overbridges (FOBs) would be deemed “mandatory”.
"We are turning a 150-year-old convention on its head, hereafter, FOBs (Foot Over Bridges) will be deemed mandatory not a passenger amenity," Goyal said, adding, that additional escalators have been sanctioned at crowded Mumbai suburban stations and thereafter for all high traffic stations.
Goyal also said that under him, the Railway Ministry would work to reduce red tapism. Last week, while unveiling his roadmap for the coming year, Goyal had stressed that he would not hesitate from spending extra money if it ensured the safety of passengers.
He reiterated it on Saturday and said, "To eliminate bureaucracy and delays, I have empowered GMs to spend whatever is necessary to safety."
"Within the next 15 months, CCTV cameras in all suburban trains in Mumbai with monitoring mechanism. Parallel work across India,” he added.
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