Reprimanding Central and Western Railways for not promptly attending to accident victims on suburban routes resulting in their death, the Bombay High Court today asked the authorities to form a core team and take steps on a war-footing to deal with the issue.
"Most of whom lose their lives because of delay in treatment and loss of blood... Railways should be sensitive to the issue and form a core team to deal with this. How many times shall we issue orders on this subject," observed a division bench headed by Justice V M Kanade.
"Eighty per cent of Mumbai population travel by trains daily from their home in the suburbs to workplace and return in the evening. The commuters certainly know the risk involved in travelling but still they travel by trains after offering prayers to god because they have no choice," the bench said.
The high court was hearing a bunch of petitions filed by Sameer Zaveri and others seeking measures to make travel safe in suburban trains.
Sachin Pawar, brother of Darshana Pawar who died after a fall from a local train after being hit on the head by a thief on February 9, filed an affidavit describing how delay in treatment had cost her life.
Sachin said his sister was lying on the tracks for quite a long time resulting in heavy loss of blood. She was first taken to a private hospital in Ambarnath in neighbouring Thane district which refused to admit her. Then she was taken to Ulhasnagar Civil hospital which also did not attend to her. Thereafter, Darshana was taken to KEM hospital in Mumbai which referred her to JJ hospital where she passed away.
The bench then asked the Railways and the hospitals concerned to file within a week replies to the affidavit filed by the victim's brother.
Meanwhile, in a different case of an accident victim Bhavika Mehta who had lost a leg after a fall from a train while chasing a thief in 2011, the Railways told another division bench of the high court that they were ready to pay compensation of Rs 2.80 lakh and a cheque shall be handed over to the beneficiary by February 18.
The bench headed by Justice Abhay Oka has kept the petition for final orders on March 2.
