WR launches novel drive on unsafe commuting

In a bid to sensitise suburban train commuters and to dissuade them from risking their life while travelling, the Western Railway today launched a campaign which is aimed at "changing the mindset" of passengers by reaching them emotionally.
"Along with our seamless efforts, a change in mindset of travelling people is also required, and therefore we have launched a campaign 'Be Zinda' to educate people by touching their emotional chord," said G C Agrawal, General Manager of Western Railway.
The WR has roped in a private firm Ideahive Media for the five-month-long drive.
"We, in collaboration with Ideahive Media, would send a message of 'Value your Life' through various activities and channels such as radio, colleges, corporates and celebrities to general public," Agrawal said in a press conference.

A senior executive of Ideahive Media said over 200 students from various colleges would assemble at Churchgate railway station on February 16 and appeal to send out a message to take a minute break of 'value your life'.
"The students will stand still for one minute at 1:30 PM. Various colleges as well as corporates will also join in to support the cause," he said.

The executive said commuters often tend to trespass or take shortcuts on railway premises, including crossing railway tracks, as they are in hurry. "This sometimes proves fatal for many," he added.
A railway official said they struck with the idea of emotional appeal as their efforts to curb deaths on railway tracks came unstuck despite undertaking various measures.

"Despite our all-out efforts like creating a boundary wall, installing escalators, closing the level crossings, raising the platform heights, building FOBs, the numbers of deaths have been on the rise," he said.
As per an RTI query filed by an activist Anees Khan last year, as many as 25,722 passengers had fallen off the running local trains in Mumbai (on Western, Central and Harbour suburban services in Mumbai Commissionerate) in the last ten years, of whom 6,989 commuters died.