Railway Disaster Management Institute to come up near city

The country’s first training institute to handle railway-related accidents is getting ready at Hejjala village, near Bengaluru. 
Railway staff will be trained to handle accidents at the Disaster Management Institute in Hejjala village near Bengaluru
Railway staff will be trained to handle accidents at the Disaster Management Institute in Hejjala village near Bengaluru

BENGALURU: THE country’s first training institute to handle railway-related accidents is getting ready at Hejjala village, near Bengaluru.Three senior officials of the South Western Railway confirmed the development to Express.

“Practical hands-on experience to manage rescue operations in the event of any possible rail-related mishap will be imparted here. Railways have a spacious land in Hejjala. Hence, the Railway Board had decided to set up the institute there,” a top official said.
Different kinds of disasters will be created artificially and railway staff will be given practical training on handling the situation.

“A railway tunnel, overbridge, river, railway tracks, platforms and coaches will all come up here. Old railway wagons and rail will be used to put in place the infrastructure,” another official said.
Apart from medical training, rescue operations to be carried out during fire and underwater disasters will also be imparted.

Tenders have been awarded to contractors to create this unique institute on the 3.32sqkm railway land.
“The total cost of the project is nearly `45 crore. Two contracts have already been awarded at a cost of `23.90 crore for creating girder bridge, tunnel earthwork, model station building and safety village among other works. Construction work has already begun,” said E Vijaya, Deputy General Manager and Chief Public Relations Officer, SWR Zone.

Railway staff across India, popularly referred to as ‘breakdown staff’, will receive training at the institute. “They are regular railway staff working across the country who are given special training to provide relief to the victims during emergencies. They rush from their work spot in a relief train within 15 minutes of receiving the news about any accident,” the DGM said.

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