The contract workers were not supervised, and the railways was not informed of their presence on the tracks.
Published Nov 05, 2024 | 3:00 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 05, 2024 | 3:00 PM
The railways was not informed about the workers' presence on the bridge.
Multiple factors, including flouting of safety norms, have led to the accident on the railway bridge on Bharathapuzha, which killed four workers from Tamil Nadu on Saturday, 2 November.
While the bodies of three people, including two sisters, were found on the same day, a fourth body was fished out of the river the next day.
It has been learnt that the workers were unfamiliar with the area, and a railway contractor had hired them to clear the tracks of garbage. The workers were not supervised, and the railways was not informed of their presence on the tracks.
Valli, Rani, Lakshmanan, and another man, also named Lakshmanan, worked on the tracks before the Thiruvananthapuram-bound Kerala Express mowed them down at 3.05 pm in the Palakkad district.
Police at the scene of accident.
Locomotive pilot Chandrasekhar said the train was approaching a curve on the bridge when he spotted the workers on the track.
“They were very close. Despite sounding multiple horns, including emergency horns, we were unable to alert them in time,” he said.
Chandrasekhar described his helplessness, noting that the workers were unable to respond fast enough to avoid the oncoming train.
The workers — Rani, her husband Lakshmanan, her sister Valli, and another individual Lakshmanan — were reportedly walking from Cheruthuruthi to Shoranur on the Ernakulam approach and unknowingly entered a risky stretch of the track.
According to local railway sanitation workers, those accustomed to track cleaning are usually familiar with safe zones along the track and have an understanding of train schedules.
“The tragic part is that these workers had no knowledge of such safety procedures, nor were they made aware of the timings of approaching trains,” a sanitation worker, who wished to remain anonymous, said. He added that the presence of a supervisor could have saved their lives.
The contractor, identified as Munavar Thonikkadavath from Malappuram, reportedly failed to inform railway authorities about the cleaning work at the stretch. This lapse meant that the nearby station master was unaware of the workers’ presence on the tracks and had not issued any safety advisories.
Munavar, who often contracts with the Palakkad Railway Division, did not ensure the workers were familiar with the hazards and train timings, which experts believed, could have prevented the tragedy. The Southern Railways has now terminated his service.
In an official statement, the Railways clarified that the cleaning contract covered tracks accessible via road and a level-crossing between 1/600 km and 1/900 km, with no provision for cleaning on the bridge.
“The Bharathapuzha bridge was not part of the designated area for rag-picking, and therefore, there was no railway protection arranged for the bridge,” the Railways said.
It highlighted that safety measures were generally in place when workers were expected to be in such areas, but since the bridge was outside the scope of the cleaning assignment, no protections were enforced.
The body of one of the men, Lakshmanan, was found about 200 metres downstream after a 16-hour search. The bodies of Rani, Valli, and Lakshmanan were identified and handed over to their kin after post-mortem examinations.
The accident has brought to light the need for stringent safety protocols, proper supervision, and increased communication between contractors and railway authorities.
Meanwhile, expressing profound sorrow and concern, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, calling for immediate measures to ensure the safety of contract workers engaged by the Railways following a tragic accident near Shoranur Railway Station.
In his letter, the chief minister highlighted the apparent lack of safety training and awareness among the workers, suggesting they were unaware of the approaching train while working on the bridge.
“It is apparent that they had not got any training or imparted with awareness of safe working near Railway tracks,” Vijayan noted.
This incident follows another tragic accident involving a sanitation worker employed by a railway contractor, who drowned while cleaning Thiruvananthapuram’s Amayizhanjan Canal two months ago.
The chief minister pointed out that these repeated incidents reveal critical lapses in safety protocols for contracted labourers working in hazardous environments.
Emphasising the urgency of the matter, Vijayan requested the Union Railway minister to issue appropriate instructions to ensure stringent safety measures for contract workers.
Furthermore, he urged that the families of the deceased workers, who were employed temporarily for manual labour, be adequately compensated by the Railways.
#Kerala Chief Minister @pinarayivijayan has called on Union Railway Minister @AshwiniVaishnaw to enforce stricter safety protocols for railway contract workers after a tragic accident near #Shoranur Railway Station claimed four lives on November 2.
The victims, including two… pic.twitter.com/uyNAw33Grb
— South First (@TheSouthfirst) November 5, 2024
The decision of the Railways to announce only ₹1 lakh each to the bereaved families has invited flak from various quarters.
Earlier, VK Sreekandan, Member of Parliament, expressed shock and demanded a high-level investigation into what he termed “a clear safety failure on the part of the Railways.”
He emphasized that the tragic incident might reflect broader issues, including a staffing shortfall that has led to increased accidents.
“Such incidents are becoming frequent due to the decreased number of employees across the railway divisions,” he stated. He has since appealed to Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw to provide sufficient compensation to the victims’ families.
The Railways has announced an ex gratia of ₹1 lakh each to the kin of the deceased as interim relief.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin announced a solatium of ₹3 lakh each to the bereaved families.
(Edited by Majnu Babu)
