On Oct 27, because of the festive rush (upcoming Diwali and Chhath puja) 10 persons were injured in Mumbai, some seriously, as thousands of migrant workers attempted to board the 5.10 am Antyodaya Express train. This train leaves at 5.10 am from Bandra (Mumbai) to Gorkhapur (Uttar Pradesh). Shockingly, the train has only general coaches and the number of tickets officially sold exceeds the seating capacity! (If so, do people buy tickets? Even a ticket collector would not dare to enter the coaches.) Paradoxically, the train has modern amenities such as LED screens to display information, vending machines, bio-toilets, CCTV cameras, mobile charging points, and toilet occupancy indicators! Yet the tendency to attach unreserved coaches is still prevalent. Imagine the plight of the passengers who are packed like sardines with some people or luggage in the toilets and it would be a helpless situation if a tragedy occurs or some passengers have an emergency condition. Firstly, it is time that the railways abolish unreserved coaches and treat the travellers in a humane way. Secondly, convert the fully unreserved trains to reserved ones to avoid recurring disaster.
