In the last four years, as many as 300 gangmen level-1 personnel of the Indian Railways perished in train collisions while on duty. According to the information provided by the Railways, a total of 312 members of the track maintenance workers have passed away while performing their jobs in various regions of the nation during the past four years.
This was disclosed by Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
The minister, in a written reply, informed the House that ex gratia was given to the families of railroad track maintenance workers who lost their lives.
The track maintenance workers, commonly referred to as “gangmen”, were killed while carrying out legitimate official tasks.
Railways regularly coach track maintenance workers about putting their personal safety first while working close to the tracks. The gangmen have also received safety equipment from the railways. They are currently outfitted with safety helmets, reflective high-visibility coats, and protection gear. Hooters and whistles with remote controls are also available at the job site to keep track of the maintenance personnel.
The Railways has also approved Rs 91.21 crore for the installation of the “Approaching Train Warning System,” commonly known as “Rakshak,” on the train network’s Golden Quadrilateral-Golden Diagonal sections.
From 2018 to 5 December 2022, a large number of gang members killed while on job occurred in Uttar Pradesh, followed by 48 track maintenance workers killed while on the job in Maharashtra. Gujarat had the fewest gangman fatalities with only 12 people dying on the railway.
During this time, 33 gang members were killed in Andhra Pradesh after being run over by trains, compared to 35 gang members who died on the tracks in West Bengal. 14 deaths on the rails were recorded in Chhattisgarh, and 13 gang members were slain while doing the job in Haryana.