Amritsar train tragedy on Dasehra

Learning no lessons from the Amritsar train tragedy that claimed 61 lives four years ago, towering effigies of Ravana and others were mounted barely 50 metres away from the main railway station here during the Dasehra celebrations on Wednesday.

Showing utter disregard for the safety norms, the cracker-laden effigies were burnt barely a few metres away from high-tension electricity wires over the railway track. The railway station, with its seven-lane tracks, is one of the busiest and largest junctions in Asia.

A railway official, requesting anonymity, said, “There are high-tension electricity wires over the railway tracks, just a few metres away from where the effigies were burnt during the Dasehra celebrations; any untoward incident could have taken place with hundreds of crackers bursting all at once. It could have even resulted in a stampede, putting the lives of hundreds of people in danger. It is gross negligence on the part of the district administration to not having considered the proximity of the venue for burning the effigies to the railway station.”

A city-based activist said, “Why cannot the venue be changed to some other safer place? Four years have passed, but the administration did not learn any lesson from the unfortunate train tragedy at Amritsar that claimed many lives. Those who came to celebrate Dasehra at the railway ground were seen crossing the railway tracks; some of them were very close to the tracks when the effigies were burnt. Proper safety measures must be in place and if you do not want to change the venue, at least ensure that the area or ground is fenced from all sides.”

“If any untoward incident occurs, inquiries will be marked, some officials will be made scapegoats and suspended, but what is point as precious lives of people are lost in the process,” he added.

Pradeep Sharma, Station Superintendent, Bathinda railway station, said, “It does not fall in my jurisdiction, I won’t be able to comment on the matter.”

Deputy Commissioner Showkat Ahmad Parray said, “We have not allowed burning of effigies at two locations. Senior officials of the administration have inspected the locations before giving permission for burning of effigies in 16 other locations in the district. In the railway ground also, we have reviewed the situation and as such there are no safety issues. There is no need to worry as all safety measures are in place from our side.”