BHUBANESWAR: Ahead of Diwali, the East Coast Railway (ECoR) has launched a 15-day zonal safety drive from Wednesday to prevent fire incidents and strengthen fire safety measures across its jurisdiction.
ECoR officials said the drive is being conducted till November 18 across the Khurda Road, Sambalpur and Rayagada divisions, involving officers and supervisors from all departments. Special emphasis is being laid on identifying potential fire hazards, ensuring the availability and proper functioning of firefighting equipment, and creating awareness among passengers and railway staff.
As part of the drive, railway officials, in coordination with the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP), will conduct random and surprise checks of luggage and parcels before they are loaded into SLRs.
Inspections will also be carried out to assess the availability and working condition of fire extinguishers and smoke and fire detection systems at stations, in coaches, pantry cars, power cars and locomotives. Passengers have been cautioned against carrying firecrackers, gas cylinders, petrol, kerosene, acid and other inflammable or dangerous materials while travelling by train.