Railways plans new crowd control steps at 60 stations across India | Details here

The railway ministry has decided to implement new crowd control measures at 60 stations across the country, based on past experiences during the festive season and events like the Maha Kumbh.The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday, ANI reported.

To manage overcrowding, permanent waiting areas will be created outside these stations, allowing passengers onto platforms only when their train arrives.

Pilot projects have already started at New Delhi, Anand Vihar, Varanasi, Ayodhya, and Patna stations.The railways will also introduce complete access control at these stations, permitting only passengers with confirmed reserved tickets onto platforms, while sealing all unauthorised entry points, the report added.Moreover, new foot overbridges (FOBs) with widths of 12 metres (40 feet) and 6 metres (20 feet) will be installed at all stations.

These wider FOBs, which ‘proved’ effective during the Maha Kumbh, will include ramps for better crowd movement.The railway ministry has also decided to enhance surveillance by installing a large number of cameras at stations and nearby areas.

War rooms will be set up at major stations, where officers from all departments will coordinate crowd management efforts.Each major station will have a station director, a senior officer empowered to take financial decisions on the spot.

The station director will also have the authority to regulate ticket sales based on station capacity and train availability.A stampede at New Delhi Railway Station on the night of February 15 left 18 people dead, triggered by confusion over the delay of three trains, including one headed to the Maha Kumbh.The stampede was sparked by a surge of passengers following delays of three trains, including a special service to the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.

The situation worsened as around 1,500 general category tickets were sold simultaneously, leading to severe overcrowding on platforms 13 and 14.