Railways gear up to tackle 'Mahaparinirvan Diwas' rush

Railways have made elaborate arrangements to deal with heavy rush of passengers visiting Mumbai on the occasion of the 62nd death anniversary of B R Ambedkar which falls on December 6.

Lakhs of followers of the dalit icon from various parts of the country visit the Chaityabhoomi in central Mumbai every year to pay their respects.

Chaityabhoomi is the place of Ambedkar's cremation.

Apart from operting extra trains, the Central Railway (CR) and Western Railway (WR) have also made elaborate crowd management arrangements to cater to the rush.

The CR is operating 14 special long-distance trains and as many extra suburban services, stated a press release issued by Central Railway spokesperson Sunil Udasi.

"Three special trains will run from Nagpur to CSMT and six trains from CSMT/Dadar to Sewagram/Ajni/Nagpur. Another special train will ply between Ajni station and CSMT and two trains between Solapur and CSMT. Moreover, two special trains will be operated between Adilabad and Dadar stations," it said.

WR Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Ravinder Bhakar said various arrangements are being made to ensure hassle-free commute for passengers.

"Apart from setting up several help desks and directional signage boards at prominent stations, adequate RPF/GRP staff has been deployed to monitor crowd movement at suburban stations, especially at the Foot Over Bridges," he said.

The CPRO said staffers have been sensitised to deal with the followers coming for the "Mahaparinirvan Diwas" Thursday.

"The staffers can guide people as they have all the information regarding timing and transport arrangements to/from the Chaitya Bhoomi. Additional ticket booking counters will be operated during December 5-7. Train movement will be monitored closely," he said.

Arrangements for drinking water, catering, first aid etc. are being put in place by the CR and WR at CSMT, Dadar, Mahim, Churchgate, Thane, Andheri, Kalyan and Borivali railway stations in Mumbai.

Disaster management system is also put in place.