The number of people dying because they choose to cross railway tracks instead of climbing stairs to bridges has gone up in the jurisdiction of the Bangalore Cantonment railway station.
The numbers of deaths due to trespassing have gone up in 13 railway stations that fall under the jurisdiction of the Bangalore Cantonment railway station. A police sub-inspector of the Government Railway Police at Bangalore Cantonment railway station, said 32 people have died due to trespassing in 2021, 69 in 2022 and 43 in 2023 from January to July.
Old people, pregnant women and people with disabilities find it difficult to climb up and down the stairs to reach the platform they need. Moreover, no stations under the jurisdiction of Cantonment railway station have escalators or lifts.The police attribute the trespassing to this lack.
Two middle-aged women walking on the overbridge across the tracks grumbled about having to carry luggage on the stairs. They said the lack of escalators hurts people with bad knees.
Mahesh, who was walking across the tracks to get to a platform said, “The over bridge is too far Nobody is around to check so, I just cross the tracks. “
The sub-inspector agreed that people trespass because the bridge is far away. He said that escalators and lifts will be installed only when the construction for the extension of railway platforms is completed.
Srinivas, a retired assistant engineer, said that there is a set criterion for the installation of escalators on railway stations. According to the railways policy, escalators are provided in cities with a population of more than 10 lakh people or stations that have a footfall of more than 25,000 people a day.
According to information from Karnataka Railway Police Unit, a total of 951 people have died in Karnataka due to trespassing on railway tracks from January to July in 2023.
KS Vijay Kumar, station manager at Bangalore Cantonment railway station said that people trespass because they tend to cross the tracks when they see that their train is about to leave from the opposite platform. He added that in such a situation, railway staff tries to help people by stopping the train so that people can come from the bridge and not trespass.
Chief Ticket Inspector, Mohd. Sanaulla said, “On an average two to three people get caught while trespassing in a week and they are fined according to the law.”
According to The Railways Act, any person found trespassing,can be imprisoned for six months or will have to pay a fine up to Rs. 1000, or both.
Srinivas said, “If a person is law abiding, they wouldn’t cross the tracks. The rule is not just for a railway station, it is for every place where tracks are laid, and people are only supposed to use the over bridge or under bridge or at manned crossings.”
The following stations come under the jurisdiction of Bangalore Cantonment railway station: Bangalore East, Baiyappanahalli, KR Puram, Diesel shed (Krishnarajpuram), Hoodi, SGT Railway station, Whitefield, Devangonthi, Malur, Byatrayanhalli, Tyakal and Maralahalli.
