NEW DELHI: Following the stampede at New Delhi Railway Station which killed at least 18 people including four children, the Ministry of Railways has instructed Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) to design 'permanent holding areas' (PHAs) at 60 stations across the country for crowd management.
These stations have been selected based on the sudden increased crowd surges during special occasions like Holi, Diwali, Chhatha and other festivals. So far, permanent holding areas (PHAs) have been developed at only 9 stations in and around Prayagraj in UP.
These holding areas are located outside the platforms to help control the flow of passengers and prevent overcrowding.
"In view of emerging crowds of passengers for Mahakumbh ahead of Mahashivratri, falling this year on February 26, passengers holding areas on temporary basis have also been created at Patna junction, Danapur, Ara, Buxar, Sasaram Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Hajipur, Samastipur and other railway stations following the massive origination of passengers towards Mahakumbh," a senior official working with the Ministry of Railway told this newspaper.
The temporary passenger holding areas have also been created at Deendayal Upadhyay Railway station, formerly known as Mughalsarai, under the east Central Railway.
Upon being asked about the progress on the plan for the construction of the proposed holding areas, the railway official said, " The RITES has been instructed to start working on the design of permanent holding areas keeping every factors in mind. After the design is readied by the RITES, the Ministry of Railway after wider discussion approves it and move ahead in mission mode for 60 railway stations."
Many stations in Bihar, UP and other states witness sudden surges in crowds of passengers during festivals like Saharsa. Kanpur, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Udna, New Delhi and other stations also witness sharp surges in number of passengers during festivals.
"After final design of PHAs is readied and approved, all amenities like ticketing zones, wi-fi, eateries stalls, and others would be made available in each of PHAs. Not only this, by doing some changes in the Amrit stations, the permanent holding area would also be created to control crowds during peak time," said an official.
As it is roughly being estimated, the Ministry will have to spend between Rs 1 crore to Rs 5 crore for the development of these permanent holding areas as part of a larger effort to improve crowd management at major stations.
For the time being, in view to keep emerging crowds for Mahakumbh, massive holding areas at Ghaziabad, Anand Vihar, New Delhi, Ayodhya Dham, Vanaras ,Ballia, Siwan, Deoria, Chhapra, Rajendranagar in Patna, Muzaffarpur, Barauni, Jaynagar, Madhubani, Raxaul, and Gaya have been created by the railway.
"Passengers are allowed to enter the platforms based on the scheduled departure times of their trains. This initiative aims to improve crowd management and enhance passenger safety, especially during peak hours and festive seasons", the official said.
Meanwhile, UP CM Yogi Aditaynath appreciated the railway for arrangements to the Mahakumbh-bound passengers. He said that more than 13,500 trains including more than 3500 special trains are in service for the Mahakumbh.
"The 48 digital ticketing, multilingual announcements and conveniences being provided to passengers reflect the railway's commitment," he said.