MEDAK: What can be worse than having as many as 800 children walk past an unmanned railway track to school?
For students of four schools abutting the track in Masaipet, a tiny village in Veldurti mandal of Medak district, this is just a daily routine. In the past, villagers and school teachers had put forth several proposals on manning the level crossings at two crucial locations, but in vain, said M Chandra Reddy, a teacher at Masaipet Zilla Parishad High School (ZPHS).
“We have been demanding two gates -- one at the accident site and another near the ZPHS school -- on the same railway stretch. Promises have been made and representations accepted, but no action was taken,” he said, pointing to the vehicle movement in both spots.
Still worse, around 400 students of ZPHS shuttle between Masaipet, Chikratimmapally, Srinivasa Nagar and other neighbouring villages by crossing a raised platform at Masaipet Railway Station. “Everyday, I shuttle between my school and house via Masaipet Railway Station, which lacks a foot-over-bridge. I have to get down from the raised platform on to the track and then climb on to the platform on the other side to reach my house in Srinivas Nagar,” a Class VI student of ZPHS said. In the past, several accidents have occurred leading to grievous injuries to victims, but nothing has changed, fumed a teacher Harirajan Sharma.
“Recently, there was an accident where a train rammed a tractor. Similarly, several motorists were hit by a speeding train. In the wake of such accidents, we submitted proposals to former MP Vijayashanti and several other officials, but nothing has changed,” he added.
District Education Officer Rajeshwar Rao blamed the Railways for the incident.
“I was told several people have submitted representations for setting up a road-under-bridge at two locations to enable passage of school buses, but it did not materialise,” he said, adding that he was posted only about two months back in the district.