Summary:
Jodhpur: Cattle on the railway tracks have awfully affected the punctuality of trains in the state. Worried with the growing incidents of cattle collision with trains, the railway has decided to take action against the cattle owners and begin an awareness drive.“The growing incidents of cattle collision have worried us. While grazing, they occupy the railway tracks and die when hit by the trains.Sharma said that considering it to be a gross negligence on the part of cattle herders or shepherds, the railway is going to take action against such errant cattle owners.“First the spots of repeated occurrences of such accidents will be identified and an awareness campaign will be launched in those areas. The cattle owners will be first apprised of the gravity of the situation and if they do not comply, legal action will be taken against them,” said Sharma.The North Western Railway is on second position in the country with 86% punctuality in operation of Mail and Express trains across the divisions but by addressing the menace of cattle on the tracks, the railway is looking forward to improving the punctuality further. It has dealt a severe blow not only to the punctuality of the trains but also to the safety and security of the trains as well as the passengers travelling in them,” said spokesperson (Jodhpur division) Gopal Sharma.Describing the gravity of the situation, Sharma said that 607 such incidents have been reported this year till August and 905 trains have stood affected by these incidents..