A railway employee was injured on Tuesday while cleaning an outstation train on platform no 3 of Bandra Terminus. Manish Parmar suffered injuries on his head after he slipped and fell on the tracks on Tuesday afternoon. He was rushed to the Jagjeevan Ram Hospital. His condition is said to be stable now. This is not the first case when a helper has been injured while cleaning and maintaining trains. In the last six months,20 helpers,fitters and supervisors have received injuries. They blame it on the tracks that are full of filth,mud and garbage. The open drains along the tracks are also clogged and overflowing,causing the area to become slippery. Also,concrete sleepers have been stacked between platforms, obstructing smooth functioning. Moreover,with rains here,the situation has got worse. In addition,overhead lighting arrangements are not available at all platforms. If a person has to work between two stationary trains at platforms 1 and 2,he is bound to work without enough light and only with a torch in hand. The area is uneven and slippery,full of dirt and muck, said an agitated staff member,who was recently injured. Most of the outstation trains are maintained in Bandra yard but those trains which terminate here and start after a few hours are maintained on platforms 1,2 and 3. These trains include Jaipur-Bandra Express,Bikaner-Ranakpur Express,Sayajee Nagri-Surya Nagri Express and Udaipur Express. In spite of several complaints,the commercial and engineering departments of Mumbai division did not pay any heed. On June 20,members of the Mumbai division branch of the Western Railway Mazdoor Sangh staged an agitation by halting trains for 20 minutes. After the agitation,the Station Superintendent said,As discussed with the union representatives,the garbage will be removed within three days,using 18 labourers. To remove the garbage and muck,a contract has been given. As per the contract,the contractor is supposed to depute around 44 workers but has deputed only 15, said a mechanical department staff. According to Ajay Singh,Divisional Secretary,WRMS,Only 20 per cent work has been done. Parmars accident is a live example of the situation. He added,I have sent a letter to CP Sharma,Divisional Railway Manager,Mumbai Division,WR,on Wednesday. On many occasions,I have brought this problem to the notice of the administration. WRMS will not hesitate to resort to agitation,if work is not completed within seven days. When contacted,CP Sharma said,I have received the letter and have spoken to the union representatives. Concerned departments have deputed people for cleaning the tracks and drains.
