IRCTC Latest News: Part of a precautionary measure, Indian Railways may soon come up with directives in which it may not allow train passengers to charge their mobile phones, laptops and other electronic devices at night while travelling. According to reports, the Railways said that the points used for charging mobile phones and other electronic devices for will be kept switched off from 11 PM till 5 AM. The decision in this regard has been taken in the wake of a series of train fire incidents.
The Western Railway has already put things in motion on March 16 by cutting off supply to these charging ports between this period.
The development comes as a coach of the Dehradun-bound Shatabdi Express recently caught fire in a suspected case of a short circuit on March 13 and barely six days later, a fire broke out in the engine of a static goods train at the Ranchi station.
“Safety remains the focus area of Railway operations and no one should let the guard down on that front. A thorough review and rechecking of all safety measures in the running of trains needs to be taken up by all concerned,” the minister said at a review meeting on “safety measures”, according to a statement issued by the railway ministry.
Meanwhile, Indian Railways also decided a slew of initiatives against smoking and carrying inflammable items, which were apparently the cause behind some of the recent fires onboard trains.
The national transporter has instructed zonal railways to initiate an intensive awareness drive of seven days to educate all the stakeholders, including railway users and employees, about precautions to be taken against fire incidents.
Carrying inflammable objects in trains is a punishable offense under Section 164 of the Railways Act and the offender may get imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of ₹1,000 or both, and a fine of ₹500 is applicable under Section 165.
The directives come after a slew of fire-related incidents were reported not only from onboard trains, but also at rail premises. These include the blaze in the Delhi-Dehradun Shatabdi Express, where an initial probe found a burning cigarette thrown into a toilet dustbin to be the cause of fire.
Another case of a short-circuit reported in the Delhi-Bhubaneswar Rajdhani, smoke emanating from the Duronto train from Allahabad Junction to Lokmanyatilak terminal station in Mumbai and other minor fires reported from the premises of coach factories, in garbage dumps and in bushes on railway property.
