Despite frequent demands by Railway employees for setting up a Public Address System (PAS) which will alert them on the movements of trains and coaches during duty at the marshalling yard at Ernakulam, the authorities are yet to take any action in this regard.
On Wednesday, 52 year old Arumugham, an employee at the yard, died after two train coaches which were being hauled in for repair at the yard rammed into him.
“Duty on the yard premises is an extremely dangerous affair. If a PAS is installed, all the movements can be traced continuously. Currently, such systems are available at the Thiruvananthapuram railway station as well as Irumbanam yard,” aid SRMU divisional president P Unnikrishnan.
“ Sometimes, it is impossible to make out whether the coaches are moving. There won’t be anyone available to alert about the movement of the trains. In the past, people have fractured their limbs at the yard due to this”, P Unnikrishnan said.
Meanwhile, Arumugham’s death is one of the many cases illustrating the risks involved at the marshalling yard at Ernakulam, railway employees said.
“The pit-line is extremely dangerous especially during the monsoon season. There is always a risk of slipping and falling resulting in fractures or even deaths. A few months ago, a person broke his limbs after falling. Till now, however, nothing fatal had happened. It is not wise to wait to take action after mishaps take place”, said a source at the yard.
With the railways sanctioning the construction of a third pit line, the demand to sanction more staff on marshalling duty is gaining momentum.
Meanwhile, the Southern Railways Employees Union (SRMU) has been demanding that the Railways immediately sanction a Railway referral hospital at Ernakulam, where there is a high number of employees.
“Our demand for an ambulance for staff who meet with accidents on duty is yet to materialize. If we have an ambulance, the victims can be immediately rushed to the hospital”, said P Unnikrishnan.