THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, December 9: Why is the fog season in the Indian Railways discriminative in terms of running of trains?
Fog Season Hits Only Hatia-Anand Vihar Train?
Come fog season and the Railway Board cancels the Hatia-Anand Vihar Jharkhand Express trains both Up and Down for weeks and weeks, around 90 days.
It happens in every fog season, and no explanation is given as to how other trains are made to run in fog season, while the Hatia-Anand Vihar Jharkhand Express is routinely cancelled for fog.
Never heard cancellation of Garib Rath or Rajdhani Express etc for any dense fog situation, but with Hatia-Anand Vihar Jharkhand Express train, the fortune is dismal in the fog season.
Last fog season this Hatia-Anand Vihar Jharkhand express train was cancelled only to be restored after a great many protests and efforts of the Palamu MP Vishnu Dayal Ram.
Also Read- DGCA orders IndiGo to cut winter flights by 5% over operational shortfalls
Fog Safety Measures Explained
The Jharkhand Story Network probes this issue and first it tells its esteemed readers as to what a fog alert is and how the Indian Railways handle this fog menace.
Fog alert detonators are being used in the railway section between Mangra and Kechki railway stations under the Dhanbad division of the East Central Railway (ECR).
A fog alert detonator is placed right on the railway track about 270 meters away from the Home Signal of the railway station.
A railway track man stands 10 meters away from the placement of the detonators on the railway track to convince the railway engine crew of the legitimacy of the detonator, as miscreants and criminals also use high-sounding crackers on the railway track just for the sake of fun, said railway sources.
However, where there are two Distant Signals apart from the Home Signals at both ends of the railway station, the fog alert detonator has been withdrawn, said the Daltonganj railway station Superintendent Umesh Kumar.
Also Read- PM Modi calls for Bengal victory, highlights ‘Reform Express’ at NDA parliamentary meet
Kumar told this correspondent, “We have two Distant Signals at a distance of 1 km each from the Home Signals at both the ends of the Daltonganj railway station, following which there is no issue of using fog alert detonator now around the Daltonganj railway station”.
The Indian Railways have come up with a fog safety device, much to the relief of the engine crew and the passengers travelling in the trains.
Train Cancellations and Passenger Impact
Dense fog delays trains just like planes, causing major late running, sometimes 5 to 6 hours behind the scheduled time, speed restrictions and even cancellation of trains.
Interestingly, the Indian Railways authorities have cancelled the Up and Down Hatia-Anand Vihar Jharkhand Express train from December 1, citing fog as the major reason.
Daltonganj railway station Superintendent Umesh Kumar said, “The Up Hatia-Anand Vihar Jharkhand Express train will remain cancelled from 1 December to 26 February.”
“Similarly, the Down Anand Vihar-Hatia Jharkhand Express train will remain cancelled from December 2 to February 27”, added Kumar.
Also Read- Naxal-affected states drop to 5, districts down to 11: Junior Home Minister informs Lok Sabha
Palamu MP Raises Concerns with Railway Minister
However, the Palamu BJP MP Vishnu Dayal Ram is white with anger, raising fingers at the Indian Railways authorities for cancelling this Hatia-Anand Vihar Jharkhand Express trains, citing fog season as the major reason for the cancellation.
“Is this train the only one to face the menace of the fog? Do other trains on this route have immunity to fog? Does fog season target this train more than other trains? It’s a travesty of railway train management,” read a press note of the MP sent to the media persons here from Delhi, where Vishnu Dayal Ram is attending the Winter Session of the Lok Sabha.
“The MP not only raised this issue in the Lok Sabha under Rule 377 of the Lok Sabha but also met the Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw, urging him to revoke the cancellation of the traffic of the Hatia-Anand Vihar Jharkhand Express trains without any delay,” read the press note of the MP.
Sources said Hatia-Anand Vihar Jharkhand Express train is a migrant worker train in a larger sense and its cancellation leads to a rush in other long-distance train like Sambhalpur-Jammu Tawai Express.
