Patrolling by Pune RPF to stop sabotage attempts on tracks

Pune: Railway Protection Force (RPF), in coordination with Pune division rail authorities, has intensified patrolling and intelligence gathering following a spike in train derailments.
Priyanka Sharma, divisional security commissioner (DSC) of RPF, Pune, told TOI that joint patrolling is being done with trackmen to ensure that railway property lying near tracks is not used for sabotage purpose."In many cases, people tend to block train movement using rail tracks, sleepers, etc. There are some mischievous elements who often resort to the same to make reels on social media. The trackmen and keymen are patrolling the tracks, and we, too, have joined them so that the tracks remain safe," she said.
Earlier this week, an accident was averted after Prayagraj-Bhiwani Kalindi Express collided with an LPG cylinder placed on tracks in Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh. The authorities said it was a deliberate attempt to derail the train.
"The incidents of railway accidents need to be analysed case by case. We are investigating such cases in coordination with the respective state police and intelligence to understand the root cause following which necessary action will be taken," a senior railway official from Delhi said.
An RTI query on accidents by TOI revealed that there was a considerable rise in train accidents in 2022-23 and 2023-24. In 2023-24, the accidents resulted in the death of 317 people, the highest since 2019-20, the RTI report said.
"We have had meetings with the local intelligence bureau (IB) too on the same and requested them to share specific inputs, if they have any. The aim of these patrols is to identify the problem locations and remove all railway property lying unused near the tracks," Sharma said.
Sources said that railway officials were considering installing CCTV cameras near the tracks. There are plans to install these cameras inside loco-pilot cabins. "We haven't got any specific information pertaining to Pune as of now. However, increased patrolling will act as a deterrent. There are some pre-decided black spots which are prone to different types of railway-related criminal incidents. We are keeping an eye on these spots as well," the official added.
Swapan Pal, an Undri resident, who had bought tickets to go to Kolkata next month, said, "I can't afford flight tickets and with these accidents and derailments, rail journeys have become scary," he said.
Graphics
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Year---------------------Accidents-------------Deaths------------Injuries
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2019-20---------------------55-----------------------5------------------82
2020-21---------------------22-----------------------4-------------------11
2021-22---------------------35-----------------------17------------------47
2022-23---------------------48------------------------8-------------------81
2023-24---------------------40-----------------------317----------------749
2024-25 (till July)---------14------------------------17------------------66.
(Data: Ministry of Railways)