Indian Railways Works Toward Zero Death Mission

Indian Railways is taking advantage of the lockdown that began in March 2020 to speed up works to achieve its “zero death” mission in suburban sections of the Central and Western Railways in Mumbai, India, the Mumbai Mirror reported on May 16. Measures taken in the recent past have succeeded in drastically reducing deaths and injuries. Key initiatives include the construction of 11 foot over bridges (FOBs) in FY 2020-21 with work on 26 FOBs, 47 escalators and 54 lifts in progress on the Western Railway; the addition of 17 FOBs and 30 escalators and lifts to existing ones on the Central Railway in 2021-22; the extension of a boundary wall and added fencing in some areas; the addition of private security guards at 33 gates; the closure of 59 (so far) of the 73 most vulnerable trespass locations; awareness campaigns; and the creation of a joint committee where the state government would provide an officer to work with local agencies on this issue.