Crackdown on people crossing tracks with earphones: Cops seize 87 pieces
A Selvaraj
Chennai:
Tired of warning people against talking on phones while crossing railway tracks, the Government Railway Police (GRP) have decided to act. On Thursday morning, they seized 87 headphones and ear pieces from offenders at Perambur in just one hour of `direct action'.
The action, though long over due, is expected to reduce the scale of the problem that was assuming alarming proportions. Police figures show that of 600 deaths on the railway tracks between Chennai Central and Arakkonam stations in 2014, 130 deaths were of those talking or listening to music on phones while crossing tracks.
In the last couple of days, two women were run over by suburban trains in the city , near Pattabiram and in Perambur. Both of them -M Bhavaneeshwari, 32, of Vyasarpadi, and R Jacquiline, 45, of Thirumullaivoyal -were talking on their phones while crossing the tracks.
This year, though the number of deaths on the 80km Chennai Central-Arakkonam stretch was a relatively low until July 31, almost 40 of those killed had their headsets on while crossing the tracks.
Thursday's action, a senior police officer said, was the right way to spark awareness among people. GRP inspector S Sekar kicked off the `show' by snatching headphones off people crossing the tracks.
“We gave them each a token that they can produce and get back the headphones in the evening,“ said Sekar.Police said they warned the offenders while returning the headsets. “The idea is to keep them rom using headphones at east for a day to highlight the mportance of not using hem,“ said an investigation officer.
Citing the case of the latest victims -Bhavaneeshwari, a marine engineer's wife living with her nineyear-old daughter in Vyasarpadi, and Thirumullaivoyal resident Jacquiline, struggling to raise her two children after her husband's demise -police said life turns hell for families whose sole breadwinners are snatched away in accidents. And most deaths on the tracks can be avoided if people simply stop using their phones, said another officer.
“It is to create this awareness that we have launched his campaign,“ said the officer.
Police said there planned o conduct similar programmes at many railway stations and near railway crossings.
