‘Wear proper footwear, shun rumours to avoid stampede’
MUMBAI: Desperate to convince people that they are taking steps to ensure there is no repeat of the Elphinstone station stampede, the Railways has started a public awareness campaign that has, perhaps, taken things a little too far - by advising Mumbai commuters to wear appropriate footwear.
The Central Railway (CR) has painted several messages on the steps of the newly constructed foot overbridge (FOB) at Currey Road station, asking people not to buy from hawkers, encouraging them to not believe or spread rumours and advising them to wear appropriate footwear while walking down the foot overbridge.
In other messages, commuters have been asked not to cross railway tracks; to stand in a queue; to watch their footsteps on FOBs; to not rush on FOBs; to use the skywalk wherever possible, and, in general, to stick to rules meant for safety.
Other recommendations include keeping the station premises clean, and not throw- ing garbage.
“These messages are painted for public awareness. We will be putting up similar messages on other FOBs at railway stations, particularly the newly constructed ones,” said AK Singh, senior public relations officer, Central Railway.