A Silchar bound train rammed an e-rickshaw that was stuck up in a railway track while crossing the rail line at Chandra Halam Para under Panisagar in North Tripura. Three school students and the driver of the e-rickshaw had a lucky escape as they managed to get down from the e-rickshaw just in time and escaped unhurt. The incident took place on Tuesday. The e-rickshaw was badly damaged.
This passage, bisecting the rail track, is the only viable road that connects Chandra Halam Para with three schools and markets in Panisagar. Local villagers, several times in the past, demanded the construction of an over-bridge to avoid accidents.
Even as there was no casualty today, in the past at least eight persons were killed while trying to cross the rail line at Chandra Halam Para. In support of their demand for an overbridge, local people also held hunger strikes twice in the past. They also blocked trains to press for the demand and held talks with higher officials of the Railways.
The Railways wanted to block the passage, however, villagers of Chandra Halam Para protested as blocking the passage would force them to take a much longer route to reach Panisagar and the students of the village would be in trouble owing to mounting transportation costs. In the end, neither an over bridge nor a level crossing was constructed so far and the villagers are crossing the rail lines risking their lives.
“We had seen several – eight accidents in the past and luckily, the ninth one could be averted. Luckily, locals noticed the train and also realized that the e-rickshaw was stuck up. As locals raised an alarm, students and the driver’s lives were saved “, one of the villagers of Chandra Halam Para commented.