MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Wednesday sought a counter affidavit from the Railway Board on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that sought direction to raise the platform level at railway stations under Southern Railway to align with the train doors, similar to platforms in metro rail stations.
Litigant A Jahangir Badusha (76), an advocate from Madurai, stated that vulnerable passengers including senior citizens, persons with disabilities and children face grave risk due to the gap between train footboard and the platform in many railway stations.
He claimed that this has become the reason for several fatalities over the years and cited news reports which, relying on parliamentary standing committee’s data, revealed that 2,581 train passengers have lost their lives slipping into the gap between the train and the platform.
However, in metro stations, the platform level aligns with the train’s footboard making it easier for boarding, he pointed out and wanted the same to be implemented in all railway stations under Southern Railway. When the case was heard on Wednesday, the Deputy Solicitor General representing the central government told the court it was not feasible to implement the suggestion.
Also, he said that the Railway Board has not been made a party to the case. A bench of justices Anita Sumanth and C Kumarappan suo motu impeached the Railway Board and adjourned the case to December 10.