Delhi stampede | Station holding area, crowd control manual among Railway minister's steps to prevent untoward incidents

Interacting with mediapersons at the Rail Bhawan here, Vashnaw said the Railways has identified 60 stations which normally receive a high footfall and decided to make permanent or temporary holding areas outside the platforms to regulate the flow of passengers to the stations.

New Delhi: To prevent stampede at railway stations in coming days, the Ministry of Railways on Monday listed several measures including creating holding areas at 60 major stations, banning passengers from sitting on stairs and foot over bridges and following a separate crowd management manual.

These initiatives are being taken in the wake of a stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station Saturday evening which killed 18 passengers and left several injured.

The railways has identified 60 stations, which normally receive a high footfall, including Bengaluru, New Delhi, Patna, Surat and Coimbatore, and decided to make permanent or temporary holding areas outside the platforms to regulate the flow of passengers to the stations, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Monday.

When passengers come to the station, they would only be allowed to enter the platform according to departure of their trains so that the station areas don't get overcrowded. The passengers whose trains are late would be made to sit in the holding areas, Vaishnaw said, adding that similar experiments have been done in Prayagraj -- where the Maha Kumbh is taking place.

Vaishnaw also said a separate crowd management manual will be created by merging all existing provisions, and a Standard Operating Procedure will be developed to handle passenger rush during festivals and special occasions.

The railways will make announcements at stations asking passengers not to sit on stairs and foot over bridges to ensure free movement of other travellers.

The Minister also said that the Ministry will seek feedback from passengers, shop keepers at stations and employees working on the platform to improve their amenities and crowd management.

To a question on when the inquiry committee will submit the report and what action has been taken against officials for the Saturday stampede, Vaishnaw said taking any action will be against the principle of natural justice till the time the inquiry report comes. He said no time period has been fixed as it will put undue pressure on the committee members.