Students march to railway lines to create awareness against railway crossing

The message is loud and clear. Don't cross the suburban multiple railway lines in Mumbai to die.

After all persuasive efforts of the government have failed to create the desired result as several people are being killed by the speeding trains every day, the students have accepted the challenges now. They are marching towards the vast suburban lines to create awareness among the commuters-in-a-hurry who, just to save some seconds, invariably cross the railway lines ignoring the foot-over-bridge, only to be run over by the speeding suburban and other trains.

The students of Thakur College of Engineering and Technology (TCET) in Kandivli, a bustling suburb in Mumbai, have decided to take up the challenge. Starting today, the students will dedicate three hours from their daily schedule to stop people from crossing railway tracks at Kandivli station, which records a very high number of accidents and deaths in the suburban line of Western Railway. In 2009, 74 people were killed while crossing the tracks at Kandivli station, while 18 have lost their life till August this year.

The campaign by the TCET students comes in the wake of the accident of one of their students who lost his hand while crossing the railway lines at Kandivali. So the students plan is to adopt Kandivli station and create awareness among the passengers. The goal is to make them understand that they are risking their life by using the tracks.

As part of the pilot project that will last from September 28 till October 1, around 30 students will stand at various locations on Kandivli station holding placards, wearing T-shirts with messages printed on them, and urge those crossing the railway tracks to instead use foot over-bridges or subways.