Tejas Navale

Pune: A worrisome fact has been revealed, indicating a recent surge in instances of train stoppages caused by the unauthorised pulling of emergency chains. Individuals are resorting to this action for trivial reasons, including situations where colleagues or relatives remain on the platform or when personal belongings are forgotten at the station.

As per the information, in the last financial year, 1,420 such incidents have taken place in the Pune Railway Division. Most of these incidents have taken place at Pune Railway Station. Due to this, the schedule of the railways gets disturbed, resulting in an unnecessary delay in train timing for commutes.

Pune Railway is an important division of the Central Railway. About 200 trains run through this station daily, and it carries approximately 1.25 lakh passengers per day.

The train has the facility of pulling the chain to stop the train in case of emergency. This facility has been provided to passengers so they can stop the train if any unavoidable circumstances arise, such as fire in the train, an elderly or disabled person unable to board the train, sudden deterioration of the passenger's health, or robbery in the train.

However, in the last few days, there has been a huge increase in incidents of trains being stopped by pulling the emergency chain. Due to this, many trains are unnecessarily delayed.

Many passengers arrive late at the station. Therefore, their colleagues or relatives in the train pull the chain in order to stop the train for them. Along with that, the material or bag is forgotten, and the close relative could not board the train. These are the common reasons for which chains were reported to be pulled by people. Therefore, the railway administration has appealed to the passengers to reach the station before the train arrives.

Due to the increase in these incidents, the railway administration has initiated action to prevent them. According to the information, if the passengers pull this chain unnecessarily, action will be taken against them under Section 141 of the Railway Act. Accordingly, a fine of 500 to 1000 rupees will be collected from them.

Additionally, a provision has also been made to take major action against the concerned individual after verifying the exact reason for pulling the chain. A provision for three months of punishment has also been made for stopping the train by pulling the chain unnecessarily.

Instances of emergency chain pulling have been reported across various railway routes in Pune. Pune Railway Station tops the list with 600 reported cases, followed by the Pune-Lonavala route with 300 cases. The Pune-Daund route and Pune-Kolhapur road have seen 270 and 250 cases, respectively.

These incidents not only disrupt train schedules but also pose safety risks to passengers and railway staff. Meanwhile, authorities are urging commuters to refrain from unauthorised chain pulling and adhere to safety protocols to ensure smooth and secure rail travel.