Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday expressed its concerns on death of commuters on Mumbai local trains, calling it “alarming” and suggested the authorities to install automatic door-closing system prevent passengers from falling off.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Aradhe and Justice Sandeep Marne, while taking note of June 6 incident where five commuters lost their lives and eight others received injuries after they fell off a crowded Mumbai local train, urged authorities concerned to take measures to ensure that such tragic incidents don’t occur in the future.
The High Court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by a daily commuter last year highlighting the staggering number of deaths of commuters in accidents on Mumbai local trains.
The bench, while citing an affidavit filed by the Railways, noted that there were 3,588 fatalities in the year 2024n alone on local trains, which meant that 10 Mumbaikars die every day on an average and said this is an alarming situation.
“This is an alarming situation. Though you have projected that there was a reduction (in casualties) of 49 per cent (compared to previous years),” the bench said.
The bench suggested that trains should be equipped with automatic doors and added that it was a “layman” suggestion and they were not an expert on Railway safety.
The Railways informed the bench that a multi-disciplinary committee has been set up to examine the cause of the June 9 incident and the committee will give recommendations and suggestions for avoiding such untoward incidents in the future. It further said that a high-level monitoring committee with an aim of achieving zero death mission has also been set up separately and a number of steps has already been taken based on the suggestion of the committee, including building walls and fences between Rail tracks to stop passengers from crossing over, news agency PTI reported
The bench directed the Railways to place on record suggestions made by the committee as well as the timeline for their implementation.
The matter would be further heard on July 14.
