To improve safety of the running trains, protecting railway tracks and bridges and minimising the effects of heavy rainfall, the East Coast Railway (ECoR) has planned precautionary steps before the onset of monsoon.
ECoR General Manager Umesh Singh has directed the concerned officials to take all precautionary measures towards any incident caused by monsoon rain and flood situation for the safety of passengers and smooth train operations.
According to an ECoR release, the catch water drains and side drains have been cleared of silt, vegetation and other obstructions to ensure free flow of rain water especially at the vulnerable locations. The water ways of bridges have also been cleared of vegetation and other obstructions.
Meetings have been conducted with State Irrigation Department officials at different levels for proper maintenance of railway-affecting tanks and works.
To protect the trains and travelling passengers from any unusual occurrence during monsoon, patrolling of railway tracks by the patrolmen and watchmen have planned deploy at vulnerable locations. Mobile patrolmen have also been deployed in vulnerable sections.
The ECoR have stocked boulders, muroom (red soil), cinder, quarry dust, ballast and sand at different identified locations and have kept the engineering relief vans and their equipments ready.
Singh said the ECoR is in constant touch with the India Meteorological Department and on getting weather alerts. Besides, the ECoR Control Office, which works round the clock, would keep close liaison with the Met Department and Disaster Management Cell, he added.