Railway police to rope in celebrities for campaign

August 26, 2008
V Ayyappan TNN

Chennai: The reckless behaviour of suburban commuters has become a headache for Southern Railway and the government railway police (GRP) With repeated public awareness campaigns failing to prevent people from hopping across railway tracks, often while talking into mobile phones, the GRP is planning to rope in celebrities to hammer home the message. “We are planning to do a series of public awareness campaigns at Egmore, Mambalam and Tambaram railway stations in September, because nearly 400 people have died this year after being hit by trains in the city. We want to reduce the number,” said GRP DIG P Sivanandi. As many as 2,880 people had died since 2004. “We have identified Chetpet, Perambur and Korukkupet also as most affected stations. The campaign will be extended to other sectors as well,” he added. GRP already has a campaign running to generate awareness on the dangers of crossing railway tracks while using mobile phones. “Majority of the people cross the track while using mobile phones. This is considered to be the primary reason for being run over by trains,” Sivanandi said. Wall posters that depict cartoons of a youth walking across the track while an engine driver of an approaching train desperately tries to attract his attention has been pasted at all suburban stations. Pamphlets are also distributed among commuters. The railway police turned to campaigns after penal action failed as a deterrent. “There should be awareness among the people because we cannot post personnel at every spot where people tend to cross the tracks. Such situations exist only in India. The railway tracks are designed in such way that people can access it only at railway stations,” Sivanandi said. Railways is facing a peculiar situation. “Residential colonies and encroachments have sprang up by the side of the suburban railway tracks. Hence, people just hop across the track to get to the other side of the neighbourhood. We keep building walls to block such passages. But residents keep pulling them down,” said a senior railway official. “Foot overbridges and constant monitoring are solutions to prevent people from crossing the tracks. We have foot overbridges in all suburban railway stations. But commuters like to take a short cut, that too those who are fit to use foot overbridges,” said southern railway chief public relations officer Neenu Ittyerah. Railways have a policy to build foot over bridges or subways to replace level crossings with the intention to prevent people from crossing the railway tracks.