Diamond worker dies in heavy rush at Surat railway station

Surat : A diamond worker employed with KP Sanghavi diamond company in Surat succumbed to internal injuries after he fell down from the Tapti Ganga express train at Surat railway station due to heavy rush. The deceased and his brother were going to Chapra in Bihar for the Diwali and Chhath Puja festivals on Saturday.

Sources said that Ankit Birendra Singh fell down from the coach while embarking on the Tapti Ganga train at Surat railway station along with his brother. He was suffocated and injured in the stampede-like situation when the train chugged in on the railway platform. Ankit was employed as the diamond cutter at the KP Sanghavi diamond unit in Surat.

Vinay Kumar Mishra, a close acquaintance of the deceased said that the brothers were going to their hometown in Bhaghalpur in Bihar. “Both were travelling to Chapra in Tapti Ganga train. Due to heavy rush and crowd, Ankit fell on the platform and he was seriously injured due to the stampede like situation on the platform” said Mishra.

The Surat railway authorities are under intense scrutiny as the railway station faces severe mismanagement and negligence amid the festive rush, resulting in one tragic death and several passengers rendered unconscious. The station has been inundated by a surge of migrants, predominantly from the textile and diamond industries, eager to travel to their home states for Diwali and Chhath Puja celebrations.

Over the past week, the Surat railway station has witnessed a constant influx of passengers, causing overcrowding that has raised serious concerns about the safety and well-being of those present. The situation reached a critical point on Saturday morning when over a dozen individuals collapsed due to unconsciousness, with many reporting difficulty breathing.

The situation is same in all the long distance trains where the air conditioned coaches outnumber the second class sleeper coaches. This has resulted in the passengers overcrowding the railway station to gain entry into the coaches on the general tickets during the festival season.

The shortage of second class sleeper coaches is particularly problematic for migrants, who form a significant proportion of Surat’s population. Migrants often travel long distances to their hometowns during festivals and holidays. The shortage of second class sleeper coaches makes it difficult for them to book tickets and travel comfortably.

The railway ministry has been criticized for focusing on the construction of new air conditioned coaches and neglecting the second class sleeper coaches. The critics argue that the railway ministry has become an earning instrument for the government and is no longer concerned about the comfort of the middle-class and poor passengers.

Darshana Jardosh, MoS Railway said, “Compared to last year, this year due to the Diwali festival the number of trains have been doubled, extra booking windows have been opened and the commercial staff and railway police are deployed for the safety and management of the crowd at the platform”

Darshana Jardosh visited the injured passengers at the New Civil Hospital.