Boulders have been kept loaded in wagons at various locations to meet any emergency requirement
KRC TIMES Assam Bureau
Guwahati: The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has initiated precautionary measures ahead of monsoon as heavy rain annually causes damage to tracks and raises safety issues for trains and passengers.A detailed strategy has been formulated especially for the safety of the tracks, an NFR spokesperson said.
“As part of preparations before monsoon, collection of materials at sensitive places, cleaning of drainage systems and waterways, and marking danger levels in bridges have been completed,” NFR CPRO Sabyasachi De said in a statement here.
He said patrolling teams have been deployed to monitor more than 6,400 km of tracks under the jurisdiction of NFR for any defect that may arise due to heavy rainfall.
“These teams are patrolling the tracks on the basis of rainfall alert issued by the Meteorological department. The patrolmen are equipped with the latest equipment including GPS tracker, luminous jacket, raincoat and separate waterproof trousers, safety helmet, safety shoe high and powerful flashlights,” De said.
The CPRO said the teams are on full track patrol round-the-clock and mobile phones have been provided to each team to provide information to the nearest station about any situation that may affect the normal movement of trains.
In addition to patrols, stationary watchmen have also been appointed in sensitive areas such as sites prone to landslides and bridges where water is flowing near danger levels, he added.
“Despite precautions, there are occasions when bridges are washed out, embankments are breached and landslides occur. To carry out restoration within minimum possible time, materials such as boulders, sandbags and various pre-fabricated components of bridges are kept loaded in wagons and placed at strategic locations,” the spokesperson said.
Boulders have been kept loaded in wagons at various locations to meet any emergency requirement. De said the mobilisation was carried out in the last few months over the entire jurisdiction of NFR, spread over parts of West Bengal, Bihar and northeastern states such as Assam, Tripura and Manipur.
“The monsoon season is quite challenging for NFR as it serves a difficult terrain close to foothills of Lower Himalayan ranges, carved by turbulent streams, fed by heaviest rainfall reaching up to about 7,000 mm in a year.
“A detailed strategy is adopted to ensure that the tracks are protected and kept in good condition so that safety of passengers is not compromised,” the CPRO added.
