RAILWAYS MUST ACT TO PREVENT COMMUTER DEATHS

It is sad that a youth lost his life after he fell off a crowded train (21-year-old dies after fall from moving local train, November 29). It is said that while alighting or boarding the train, the thumb rule of might is right exists. These fatal accidents are steadily rising by the day. The suburban railway management should consider ways and means to improve crowd management. Despite the suburban railway being one of the biggest revenue earners for the national exchequer, it lacks infrastructure. Will the railways wake up to prevent commuter deaths on tracks? the government resolution issued by the education department on November 5, setting November 30 as the deadline for the school authorities to see that the students do not carry bags to schools that are heavier than 10% of their weight (Schools want more time to lighten students’ bag, November 29). Some of the schools have squarely blamed the parents for packing children’s bags with unnecessary items. From their approach, one does get the impression that they are not quite serious about the problem. Otherwise, it would have been possible to give clear guidelines to parents as to what the students need to bring to school and, on their part, to make arrangements for lockers, drinking water, appropriate time-table, and so on.

One hopes that the schools will stop dilly-dallying on this matter.