Representative Image
MUMBAI: Call it a silver lining to pandemic induced curbs, casualties due to track crossing have reduced by more than half on the Western Railways.
Trespassing related deaths reduced from 528 in 2019-20 to 222 in 2020-21. Besides the fact that the volume of passengers has been much lower than pre-Covid times, the completion of infrastructural works on WR has also contributed towards bringing down the number of fatalities.
The Goregaon to Dahisar section had the highest deaths for two consecutive years 169 casualties in 2019-20 and 63 in the past financial year. It was followed by the Mira Road-Vaitarna section.
“Stations like Borivali, Nalasopara and Virar are densely packed during peak hours and many travellers take a short-cut by hopping across the tracks. But a key reason for trespassing deaths is the presence of slum colonies adjacent to the tracks,” said GRP senior inspector Bhaskar Pawar, who has headed police chowkies in both these sections. At