SAMBALPUR: Despite tall promises of improving passenger safety, the Railways seems to be taking the safety of the passengers causally as short-circuit in an air-conditioned coach of Howrah-Jagdalpur Samaleswari Express on Friday morning led to commotion among the passengers. The panicked passengers had to travel a distance of about 52 km from Jharsuguda Junction to Sambalpur Junction before the coach was replaced at Sambalpur Junction. However, no untoward incident was reported.
Reports said passengers travelling in B 2 three-tier air-condition coach of 18005 Howrah-Jagdalpur Samaleswari Express saw smoke coming out of the air-conditioner of the coach due to short circuit at about 7.40 am when the train was at Jharsuguda Junction. Initially, a passenger saw the smoke and raised an alarm. Soon after, there was pandemonium as worried passengers rushed out of the coach.
A passenger, Rajesh Prasad, who was travelling his father from Howrah, said after they came out, they saw the attendant and another person pouring water on the air conditioner. Sources said the fireextinguisher in the coach had gone defunct. An attempt was made to douse the flames from a fire extinguisher brought from another coach.
Later, staffers of the electrical department at Jharsuguda Railway Station removed the burnt cable of the air-conditioner after which the train was allowed to leave at about 7.50 am. On its arrival at Sambalpur Junction, the affected coach was replaced and the train made its onward journey after about one hour, sources in Sambalpur Railway Division said.