Mumbai's Death Trap: 10 Railway Commuters Die Per Day

[kshah 452]

Source: http://www.rtiindia.org/forum/content/191-re-mumbai-s-death-trap-10-railway-commuters-die-per-day.html

An outpouring of anger and passion has greeted the conviction of seven former Union Carbide officials for negligence in the Bhopal gas disaster. This caused the immediate death of 3,787 people, and the ultimate death of 15,000 to 20,000 people whose lungs were corroded by the gas.

If this anger and passion results in greater safety and accountability, India will be a more humane and just country. The chances of this happening are zero. India remains basically callous and unaccountable. Tragedies greater than Bhopal are constantly ignored and dismissed as “chalta hai.”

Consider Mumbai’s suburban rail services. Activist Chetan Kothari used the Right to Information Act to get data on people killed in Mumbai by the Central and Western Railway, which run through the city. Answer: 20,706 people have been killed in the last five years. This is six times as high as Bhopal’s 3,787 immediate fatalities and higher than even the long-term fatalities estimated at 15,000-20,000.

On average, over 10 people die every day! If Maoists or Islamist terrorists kill 10 people, that is regarded as sensational news. But if the Mumbai rail system kills the same number every day, it is not even considered news. The information obtained by Kothari pertains to just five years, and to just one tiny part of the railways.

Fatalities across the railways for the last two decades could run into lakhs or the equivalent of five or six Bhopals. A similar RTI exercise is needed for people killed by state electricity boards through uninsulated, loose and dangling electric wires.

One estimate of accidental electrocution deaths in the 1980s was more than 3,000 per year. It is probably higher today. Again, this amounts to several Bhopals over the years. Here again we see no public outrage, only “chalta hai”.

The Times, the British newspaper, used the RTI to get a break-up of Mumbai fatalities. In 2008, 3,443 out of 4,357 fatalities occurred when trains mowed down people crossing the tracks. As many as 853 fell off or were thrown off moving trains. Another 41 were hit by trackside poles while hanging out of doors, and 21 were electrocuted by overhead wires while travelling on the roof.

Cynics will say this is different from Bhopal: those crossing the tracks and riding on roofs were breaking safety regulations and exposing themselves to danger. But in Bhopal too, the Union Carbide plant was located outside the town, and illegal shanty-towns came up around it, violating safety and urban laws. Does that lessen criticism of the gas leak?

Union Carbide was lambasted for not using the best technology available to avert risks and deaths. But do we castigate the railways for not investing in the best safety technologies, and creating barriers to stop people from crossing the tracks? Union Carbide was slated for negligence in a shutdown plant. But the railways continue to be negligent year after year in a running organization that runs down people.

Many of us howled for justice after Bhopal. Many demanded the arrest of Union Carbide chief Anderson. Those convicted last week included Keshub Mahindra, the non-executive chairman with a largely ceremonial position. How many of us have demanded even the dismissal, let alone conviction, of the railway staff, Railway Board members or railway minister for the continuing holocaust in Mumbai? The non-executive head of the railways is, formally, the President of India. Has anybody demanded that Pratibha Patil be prosecuted for continuing railway deaths?

Alas no. The public displays not the slightest concern about our dismal tradition of having unaccountable and unsackable government cadres, who remain in their jobs and get promotions despite the most outrageous negligence.

Let me cite a recent PTI report.

“Negligence by railway staff caused nearly half of all train accidents in the country during the last five years, official data has revealed. Of the 1,034 train accidents that have happened during the period 2003-2008, 488 of them, which accounts for 47.2 per cent, have been attributed to negligence by the railway staff, joint director of the safety directorate of the ministry of railways J S Bindra said in reply to an RTI application.”

There you have it, from the horse’s mouth. Yet none of those yelling for the blood of Union Carbide staff are yelling for the blood of railway officials. And so railway negligence and deaths continue unabated.

NGOs and the media suffer from a terrible double standard. They will pounce on negligence by a multinational, and rightly so. But they act as though the public sector has a licence to kill. That is disgraceful.

[viper_in_blood 4]

why do u equate any gud thing with bad...just becoz some foolish ppl try to cross tracks whn the train is coming or thy dont use the trains carefully...u give railways a bad name...

dude its like a match stick ....if it burns ur house thn u cannt claim match box is bad ....coz if u hv handled it carefully it wud hv been used to light the stove..

any technological innovation will hv some pros n some cons..in this case why dont u guys see the pros n eventually thy outweigh the cons ....

why just keep looking a way to make INDIA backward..maoisits ,,naxals in any case thy can never n shud never be equated with indian railways...

BE AN INDIAN...

JAI HIND

[kshah 452]

Why feel offended with pure information. Article is based on RTI information. Now how to write article is based on one's own perception. Fact remain is 10 people die every day. If we value human life actions must be taken to prevent it. Wether they die crossing track or not doesn't matter as many people are constrained to cross track due to physical inabilities. They have right to live.

[viper_in_blood 4]

the problem with right to live is if its handed over to ppl who dont want to live thn its useless......whn ppl r careless n themselves dont care .....why the hell right to live shud be applied to thm....as for info tsken out by RTI act ...in any case m not offended by it but yes i m offended by the idiot who used tht act to take an info which was utterly useless as well an anti-INDIA ACT in terms of making ppl go against an uselful as well as a nation binding service ....

RAILWAYS help the ppl transverse the most lengthy destinations as well as the transportation of goods to the most farthest regions ....why do u balme railways for killing...as if railways made those ppl jump infront of the tracks or the railways jumped on to the platform changing their routes :Contento: .....

[kesav 127]

The information of 10 deaths per day is utterly shocking.

Something must be done immediately to prevent it.

As a contry we should have zero-tolerance to the death of human being whether it's carelessness of victim or carelessness of killer.

For heaven sake, don't highlight(since I'm weak hearted) how many deaths happen on roads everyday in India then we may wonder that in India everyday there is one Hiroshima or Nagasaki.

Roads in India are sure path ways to God.

The article's method of comparing Bhopal Gas tragedy against Mumbai suburban deaths is totally uncalled for.

Both are quite important and critical issues and both has to be dealt with seriousness which those deserve.

One cannot take shelter by quoting the inaction on the other.

Edited November 21, 2010 by kesav

[viper_in_blood 4]

bro come to delhi....will show how the blueline leaves the roads n jumps to footpaths for killing ppl....i guess u hvnt heard tht thing otherwise u wud never hv blamed railways... :rofl_200:

[kalpeshaparmar 66]

@ Viper In Blood

I use to think same like you till this 3rd November 2010........I use to think it is we who r wrong.........

But on 3rd my Sister died on tracks after falling from Mumbai Suburban Train.........While travelling............

The avg 10 People is including all including accidentals death(same as my sister), Electrocution, Railway Crossing, Due to excessive Public in train more than wht it can carry.........No foot over bridges like in Vikhroli(where 5 Peoples died today)

We all are happy because we have access to all the luxury just think what about others who dont have to eat............

Lets not debate....

4000 nos are not less.......Think if your mobile bill is Rs. 4000 is it more or less.......Think of logic......

[Honest 836]

^^^

Dear Kalpesh, its really sad to hear about your sister's death.

May Her Soul Rest In Peace.

@Viper_in_blood

My dear friend, visit Mumbai sometime and you will see the position here. At many stations where Local Trains halt, there are no proper Foot Over Bridges. In fact most of the deaths occurs due to non availability of proper Foot Over Bridges at Stations. People are forced to cross the tracks. Railways too are as much responsible for the deaths of the people due to this negligence.

See on Western as well as Central Railway there are SIX TRACKS side by side, on which Local Trains runs at a short difference of only 3 minutes. I agree that sometimes its human mistake to cross the tracks with overconfidence, when they think they might cross it well before the train arrives.

But I think, if there are proper Foot Over Bridges available at all Stations, the deaths on the tracks will definetely reduce.

By the way here is a video of a man falling down off the running Local Train. The incident occured on Western Railway between Mira Road and Dahisar Railway Station. The man succummed to death on the way to hospital.

And Stupid people like in the below video are the ones who play with there lives while crossing the tracks.

[Honest 836]

why do u balme railways for killing...as if railways made those ppl jump infront of the tracks or the railways jumped on to the platform changing their routes :Contento: .....

Can you expect this : ????

So dear friend, anything can happen at any time. But ya all these tragedies could be avoided.

[commonman 228]

People try to cross the tracks even when there are over bridges,

People hang at the doors or get on to the roof instead of waiting for the next train,

People jump level crossings,

all just to save a few minutes.

What really comes out of all the information above is that the life in Mumbai have become so mechanical and fast that every day 10 persons are committing suicide in Railway properties and people of Mumbai have become so insensitive that they no longer even care.

[rajanmehta 4,056]

How A Consultancy Firm's Unique Behavioural Science Approach Helped Reducing Track Crossing Deaths In Mumbai

Since December 22, Wadala Railway Station – where there would otherwise be at least one track death or injury a day – hasn't witnessed a single casualty. While there haven't been any drastic changes in infrastructure, the Railways have put one thing in place: a mind game.

Following Mumbai Mirror's 'Keeping track' campaign and various failed initiatives by the Railways, a Mumbai–based consultancy called Final Mile swung into action. The company, which provides behavioural science solutions, began analysing the places where trespassing deaths are a regular phenomenon.

Behavioural architects Satish Krishnamurthy and Jayal Shroff, who work for Final Mile, spent more than 100 man hours on various CR stations.

"We spoke to commuters, motormen and local residents. We didn't ask them any obvious questions like why people cross tracks. We preferred observing their habits and the situations that lead them to it. Most of the accidents took place during peak hours, 8 am to 11 am and 4 pm to 9 pm. That meant most victims were in a hurry to catch a train. Around 85 per cent of the victims were male, who tend to be overconfident about their behaviour," explained Krishnamurthy.

Through their research, they came up with some easy-to-implement solutions they hoped to try as an experiment, and when they approached Central Railway, they were given a go ahead.

"As long as we were able to save lives, we were open to all kinds of experiments. The firm spoke about changing the ways in which commuters act and for us it was another effort to save lives, so we provided them with all the support they needed," said CR chief public relations officer Shriniwas Mudgerikar.

The two chose to initiate their experiment at Wadala Station, which had shown a 25 per cent increase – the highest – in the number of trespassing accidents in the last one year.

"We found out that on an average, 25 people crossed the tracks at this station every minute, which increased to 45 during peak hours. There were long walkers who walked along the tracks and cross walkers who tended to quickly jump across to reach the other side. Surprisingly most of the accidents had taken place in broad daylight," added Krishnamurthy.

In October last year, the team began implementing its plans – putting up a series of photographs of a man as he is crushed by a train; putting up whistle boards 150 metres away from accident–prone spots, from where all motormen must blow a horn; and painting bright yellow stripes on the tracks so trespassers can gauge the speed of approaching trains. These installations were in place by the end of December, and so far, the results have been phenomenal.

"The project is at an experimental stage as of now. We will try it out for some more time, and if the success continues, we will implement it at other stations, too," concluded Mudgerikar.

CHANGE 1: Countering the flight response

A three-panel photograph of a man being run over by a train has been put up at the end of the platform, where people are usually tempted to cross tracks. Behavioural architect Jayal Shroff said, "The idea was to elicit an appropriate emotional memory, where a fear to face the situation would deter people from crossing the tracks." Shroff and her team came up with the idea after they observed that commuters had become blind towards the warning signs put up at railway stations. "The phenomenon works at an unconscious level, where people imagine themselves in such situations and would be alert about the danger. The idea is not to stop them from crossing, but making them alert if they do," she added

Change 2: Cocktail party effect

The theory says the brain isn't wired to do two activities simultaneously. "A person will be able to register one train approaching, but might not register the one on the adjacent track. A sudden honk confuses them instead of alerting them. Thus, we installed whistle boards just ahead of Wadala Station – 150 metres away from the usual accident spots – and motormen have been advised to give two short, rapid honks," said Satish Krishnamurthy

Change 3: A combination of Leibowitz Hypothesis and Looming Effect

The theory says large objects appear to move slower than small objects and people can't judge their speed. "Commuters fail to realise the speed of trains. To solve this, we painted a sequence of railway sleepers in bright yellow at regular intervals. And when the train approaches, our eyes catch them disappearing under it, which helps the brain get a better idea of distances and how fast a train is moving," said Shroff

And How This Unique Idea Actually Resulted in Drops in Death Rates on Tracks

Our interventions along with the Central Railway efforts have managed to bring down death rates by as much as 70% in some sections.

The success of this approach hinges on two important factors. Big behavioural problems don't need fancy solutions with large budgets and huge resources, but a fundamentally different approach that is designed on the unconscious. That is your big idea.

And secondly, the biggest success of this approach hinges on the fact that it is possible to change behaviour of people without them even being aware of the fact that we are changing their behaviour.

Edited November 21, 2010 by rajanmehta

[viper_in_blood 4]

honest bhai mumbai trains se i travelled...still it was better....aap delhi aaao..aap train chodo platform par itni bheed hoti hai ki log waise pagal ho jate hain.....i travelled from mumbai -delhi...still tht journey was gud....but once u travel fro delhi to mumbai u will know wht actually delhi platforms are...

still i feel railways arent responsible ....u just saw those 10 ppl who were killed by their sheer carelessness but u didnt saw those 1 crore ppl who use trains everyday to get to their destination....

in any technological project their will be some cons ..as for footway bridges there may be some or the other scam but the way the article presents iteslf tht railways r responsible for deaths its sheer absurdness...any technological innovation will hv some flaw thts why idealism is only theoratical..practically its just 10 % idealism....

as for deaths dear kalpesh m sorry to hea abt ur sister's death ....but whn do we as INDIANS stop blaming others ....even we doctors fail to save lives.....patients relatives blame us but in actuality thy dont tell us the actual medication or the drug routine n the diet routine the patient followed and thy blame us for patient's death....

even if thy took right medication for god sake we r just doctors as any other professional......we r not GOD...

still tht being too much indian railways do hv certain flaws but the presentment of the article is such tht it feels tht indian railways has committed a crime .....whereas in actuality it is more likely the commuter's fault....

still dear kalpesh m very sorry to hear abt ur sister's tragic death n do hope tht u n ur family get the courage n strength to bear the loss.

regards

Abhishek

[neerajayshree 36]

From Rajan ji's post it is clear that measures are taken by rail officials to cutdown the death toles

the thing is even the Demographics of Mumbai are growing day in and out.

Unfortunately the media in our country likes to pucturize the dark rather than light

Railways are also taking measures of Improsinment and fines for crossing Rail lines

they are dooing their level best still things happen they cant control peoples minds.

regsards

Nira

[Genius 817]

@ Kalpak open tracks are every where in mumbai and noone can live without using one everyday as the alternate method (over bridge) is too far off. i like your effort to bring in knowledge unseen things.

@ Rajan buddy +1 for making this thread lighter and positive - u really are CID of RIMweb

[kshah 452]

@ Viper In Blood

I use to think same like you till this 3rd November 2010........I use to think it is we who r wrong.........

But on 3rd my Sister died on tracks after falling from Mumbai Suburban Train.........While travelling............

The avg 10 People is including all including accidentals death(same as my sister), Electrocution, Railway Crossing, Due to excessive Public in train more than wht it can carry.........No foot over bridges like in Vikhroli(where 5 Peoples died today)

We all are happy because we have access to all the luxury just think what about others who dont have to eat............

Lets not debate....

4000 nos are not less.......Think if your mobile bill is Rs. 4000 is it more or less.......Think of logic......

Its really sad to hear about your sister.

You truly said, we all - unless we get jolt, always think fault lies on other side. There are so many factors in life where we are compelled to sacrifice or compromise with our own safety. There are inevitables and there are avoidables.

I read news paper article today about 5 people died due to lack of foot over bridge. Whose fault is it? Certainly not of the people who died.

I believe I belong to class of people who constitute about 5-10% of mass who enjoys previlages more than rest of the mass. But at the same time I very firmly believe that I do not represent overall Indian society. I have none of the or may be very very few problems rest of the 90-95% people faces and I am certainly ashamed for the problem faced by them.

[ani_meher 42]

kalpeshaparmar: sorry to hear your loss May your sister RIP.

In Mumbai, the cheapest commodity is life. Each day, 5.30 to 8.30 timing is a deathtrap time on all stations. On 26/11, the terrorists hit at bit late time. God forbid if the attack would be few hours earlier, the death number would be tremendously high. I truly feel for mumbai people including myself, no leader to look to, no policy to make life better for common people. Just pay taxes and live in fear

[csmart 472]

its both authority and people are to blame. we as Indians, always take security for granted. we think nothing is going to happen. ther are certain platforms where no over bridges are there. but even though where there are, we simply dont want to walk upto the bridge. we argue bridge is crowded with hawakers. we did not want to walk upto the market. simply, we need everything at our convinience.

people cross road at busy junction, but dont want to wait for signal. we same people follow all rules whenever we travel abroad. but in India, we simply love to break rules and do things our way, even if it means risking life. for life has no values.

everyone travel on roof top, in mumbai, virar people dont allow you get on/off train at particular stations. everyone want trains to commence and end journey at their station. this all resulted in hard to manage scenario. no one is willing to experiment like halting trains at each station and having trains after every few minutes. this way everyone know that missing a train will not make difference.

take simple example of helmets. even though helmets are compulsory, except in delhi, i have not seen no one using it. they will keep with them, but wont ware it. accident happens only once. people use cricket helmet or industrial helmet which are of no use. similalry, seat belts in cars. this is our mentality. and then we blame govt..

we can surely blame govt for not making airbags mandatory in cars.

but for rail deaths in Mumbai, we are to blame rather than govt. recently there was safety awareness week on raidio in mumbai, there also govt. officials say they people simply dont want to listen. he also said that due others, those who follow rules are risking their life.

[kesav 127]

10 deaths per day in one city in one trasnport mode is totally unacceptable.

This could not have happened even if we had lived in dictatorship. What is the purpose of democracy?

It's alarming to think what will be the country's total figure if we add all road and train deaths.

Everyone(citizen, State Govt, Central Govt, Corporation, Railways, business houses, NGOs) has to do their best to come out this horrible situation.

Let all join together and work together than blaming one another.

[manishag 17]

for this we are equally responsible.

deaths are not limited by the trains people do die on the road accidents. all of us are always in hurry. we want to ring the bell at the last moments only.

for example in delhi most of the offices start at 10 in morning so you can see the RUSH in delhi metro between 8:30 to 9:45 after that you will not see the rush. same thing happens to the Buses. people stand at the doors and many times they are standing on 1 leg only. if you get even a small impact you will die.

at the RED lights of busy roads pedestrian try to cross the road only when it's green light they are in equally in hurry.

for Cycle Rickshaw/Pedestrians/ Bicycles no traffic rule exists

for Private Autos/ Tempos / Buses there is no rule because they have purchased the local officials.

As far as our driving is concerned how many of us drive in Lane.

and last not least that there is major crowd in public transport because we don't have good public transport and no stringent rules for violeting the rules why there is no rule if someone is crossing the cross when it's green light.

if we drive in lane we will save time so we will not be in hurry

[KumaarShah 143]

@rajanmehta,

+1 to you for your sharing of Final Mile's experiment.

[kesav 127]

Alarmed World Bank pushes for study to trace killer spots like Vikhroli

A study that the World Bank (WB) had suggested to undertake on the Mumbai suburban railways for reduction of trespassing and improvement of safety on the tracks is expected to highlight more hot spots like Vikhroli, where the number of deaths due to crossing of tracks is high.

Alarmed at the unprecedented number of deaths on tracks, the WB in June this year had asked the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) in the city to undertake a study on the issue under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP).

“This study will suggest remedial measures,” said WB spokesperson Sudip Mozumder. “This study is expected to offer solutions to many high-risk spots like Vikhroli. MRVC is in the process of engaging an agency to do the study,” he added.

Till September 30, 2,729 commuters have died in rail accidents and more than 3,023 have been injured.

Activists said that besides increasing carrying capacity, the railways also need to improve medical facilities, like ambulances,

dedicated funds and prompt connectivity to nearest hospitals.

“Often, victims lies unattended while authorities complete formalities,” said activist Samir Zaveri, who filed a PIL in court over the issue. Zaveri had lost both legs in a train accident a few years ago.

Meanwhile, municipal commissioner Swadhin Kshatriya on Wednesday said the BMC is ready to construct a bridge at the Vikhroli crossing, after the death of four people on the tracks on Sunday.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) had abandoned the project after a survey by a consultant earlier.

Kshatriya said, “The bridge portion, which falls on railway premises, would be constructed by either by the BMC or the railway. That issue will be sorted out in a meeting with rail officials,” he said.

source :: http://www.dnaindia.com/money/report_mamata-banerjee-seeks-railways-decentralisation_1471711