Railway announces steps to tackle stone pelting on trains

In the wake of increasing stone pelting incidents on trains in some sections in the Palakkad division, Southern Railway (SR) has announced measures to prevent their occurance.
To prevent the occurance of such incidents, SR's Palakkad division has taken measures such as scaling the area by Railway Protection Force and Railway Police personnel without attracting local attention, vehicle patrolling during night hours.
Creating awareness among the public to save railway properties and educating them that pelting stones on trains is a criminal offence under sections 153 and 154 of Railway Act which invite fine or imprisonment or both, it added.

As many as eight cases of stone pelting by miscreants had been reported between Shoranur and Vadakara, four between Kasargod and Mangaluru and two incidents between Palakkad and Podanur resulting in injuries to passengers in most of the cases, a SR communication said today.
Besides damages to properties like window glasses of engine and train compartments, the Loco Pilots, Guards and Station Staff had narrow escape in the stone pelting incidents in some cases.
In a particular incident at Mangaluru Central yard, the coaching staff sustained head injuries when some miscreants pelted stones on them and two of them were arrested subsequently, it said.