Railway line doubling forces villagers to risk lives crossing tracks

Residents of Ward Number 15 Shivgadha in Nagar Panchayat Suwansha, Pratapgarh, are being forced to risk their lives crossing railway tracks after the doubling of the railway line led to the closure of the old access road. The large population living across the railway line now has no choice but to traverse the ballast stones laid along the railway track, creating a constant risk of accidents.

According to the villagers, a kutcha road alongside the railway line was previously used for commuting. This route was closed during the doubling work on the railway line. Rainwater has filled the pits formed along the edges of the pathway, making movement via the normal route even more difficult. Out of compulsion, villagers are forced to ride motorcycles over the railway ballast stones while coming and going.

Patients and students also use this route for daily commuting. The villagers point out that moving around the railway track in this manner could result in a serious accident at any time. The problem has severely increased the difficulties faced by patients and students in particular.

To address the problem, the villagers contacted the Executive Officer of Nagar Panchayat Suwansha. It has been reported that the EO told the villagers he would arrange permission from the railway department. Once permission is obtained, the Nagar Panchayat can have the pits along the railway filled with soil to make the route somewhat passable. The villagers say that if the pits are simply filled with soil for now, it could provide considerable relief in commuting and people would not be forced to ride motorcycles on the railway ballast.

The villagers question who will actually complete the process of obtaining permission from the railway department. On Sunday morning at approximately 8:30 am, former BDC member of the Gram Sabha Dinesh Mishra, Kripa Shankar Tiwari, Subhash Chandra, advocate Shyam Lal Gautam, Shiv Prasad Maurya, Phool Chand Bind, Hausla Prasad Pandey, ward member Pramod Rawat, Prem Chand and Ramesh Chandra Mishra, along with several other villagers, drew the attention of the Executive Officer of Nagar Panchayat Suwansha and the District Magistrate Pratapgarh toward the problem.

The villagers have demanded that arrangements for an alternative route be made at the earliest and that the pits be filled. They stress that continuing to force residents to use the dangerous railway track route poses an unacceptable safety hazard, and immediate administrative action is necessary to restore safe access for the community living across the railway line in Shivgadha.