Ahead of monsoons, Central Railway purchases boats for the safety of passengers

Ahead of monsoons, Central Railways has provided for boats in order to ensure the safe evacuation of passengers in case of emergencies.

Moreover, as the railways face stagnant water on the tracks during the monsoon season, the authorities have decided to deploy boats at various places along the line of Central Railways. These boats will be deployed at CSMT, Dadar, Kurla, Thane and Badlapur, informed Shivaji Sutar, Chief Public Relations Officer, Central Railway.

In the past, two years back, the railway line was closed due to flooding near the Badlapur railway station. The Mahalakshmi Express with a capacity of 1,000 passengers was also left stranded as the entire railway line went underwater. The rescue operation was carried out with the help of the Railway Security Force, NDRF and local municipalities. Meanwhile, last year, a lot of water had accumulated on the tracks in many places in Mumbai including Masjid Road, Sandhurst Road and Byculla.

Many commuters were stranded as local and mail expresses were parked on the spot. At that time, with the help of the state government and NDRF, boats were used to move passengers to safer places. After such incidents, Central Railway has now decided to purchase its own boats and deploy them at various places during the monsoon. Central Railway Security Force, Railway Police, Fire Brigade jointly imparted training on how to use the boat at Ambernath, Badlapur earlier this week.

According to sources, the training runs from three in the afternoon to six in the evening which is to continue till the end of May. Furthermore, drone cameras will also be used to monitor the conditions during the monsoon season in Mumbai. There are currently two drone cameras. Recently, these cameras were tested in Kalyan. Currently, they are being used to track thefts in car sheds and yards across the city.