PIL in SC over New Delhi Railway Station stampede; seeks better crowd management measures

New Delhi [India], February 17 (ANI): A PIL has been filed in the Supreme Court in the wake of the recent stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station, seeking to constitute an expert committee to frame guidelines and suggest measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
The PIL sought direction from the Union and State governments to collectively constitute an expert committee to frame guidelines and measures to prevent the incidents of stampedes.
The plea filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari sought direction from Indian Railways to take measures for the safety of passengers at railway stations and platforms by widening corridors, constructing broader overbridges and platforms, and ensuring easy access to platforms through ramps and escalators. During peak hours, any changes to arrival or departure platforms should be strictly avoided.
"Utilising barriers, ropes, and crowd control gates to manage passenger flow is essential and not to distribute tickets at a time above the number of passengers who may gather and accommodate on a railway station as per to the space available," the plea stated.
The petitioner also sought directions to the Union and the states to implement the report made by the National Disaster Management Authority in 2014 titled "Managing Crowd at Events and Venues of Mass Gathering."
The stampede occurred due to a last-minute change of the departure platform of the train to Prayagraj, said the petitioner, adding that such incidents have also occurred previously as well at railway stations.
"These recurring tragedies highlight the urgent need for enhanced crowd management and safety measures at significant transport hubs such as New Delhi Railway Station," submitted the plea.
It further stated, "The government and railway ministry are very well aware that when Maha Kumbh is going on and lakhs of people are boarding from the railway stations from all states. Then the railways should have made adequate arrangements and safety measures. There have been many videos on social media and news reports that show the chaotic condition at the railway stations where the people are suffering. The bogies are seen fully filled, not leaving an inch of space and people are packed like in a sack."
In the morning, another lawyer mentioned before a bench headed by Justice Abhay S Oka, requesting the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance of the stampede. However, Justice Oka said that the mentioning has to be made before the Chief Justice of India.
The stampede at New Delhi railway station on Saturday left 18 passengers dead and many others injured. (ANI)