Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - HT Navi Mumbai Live
13 rly stations yet to get ambulances
Better medical facilities at stations can help save those who meet with accidents on tracks, in trains, say commuters
NAVI MUMBAI: Though the number of people, who die in Navi Mumbai while crossing the railway tracks or by falling from moving trains increases every year, the government and the railways do not seem concerned about this.
Thirteen out of 15 railway stations in the satellite city still neither have ambulances nor doctors to take care of the accident victims. At present, only Vashi and Nerul railway stations have one ambulance and two doctors each to take care of the commuters, who suffer injuries while travelling by trains. The other 13 stations still depend on private ambulances, which never come on time.
According to the railway sources, as many as 181 people died in railway accidents in the jurisdiction of Vashi GRP in 2015 as opposed to 139 deaths in 2014. Likewise, a total of 71 people died in 2015 against 66 deaths in 2014 in Panvel GRP. This apart, nearly 200 people suffered injuries while travelling in train in the city last year.
Hemant Sharma, an activist from Vashi and social legal head of Sahayak NGO said, “Tushar Jadhav, a 21-year-old engineering student, was attacked and his throat was slashed by two miscreants in a train near Ghansoli station last June. He was taken to a hospital in Thane, which took nearly half-an-hour and he died even before he could make it to the hospital. Had there been an ambulance at Ghansoli station, he could have been instantly taken to a nearby hospital and he would have survived.”
“The city of Navi Mumbai is known for its beautifully-developed railway stations. It’s an irony that the authorities are hardly paying attention to the safety of the commuters in these ‘beautiful’ stations,” he added.
“Several commuters suffer injuries while travelling by local trains. While it may not be possible to provide doctors and ambulances to every station, every
three railway stations can have an ambulance and two doctors,” said Manisha Naik, 37, a resident of Ghansoli.
A senior official from the Central Railway (CR), who did not wish to be named, said, “We are planning to get doctors and ambulances for some more stations in Navi Mumbai. It is true that providing doctors and ambulances for every station may not be possible, but we are trying our level best to improve the scenario.”