Berhampur Although Berhampur Railway Station is considered the lifeline of Ganjam district, it is increasingly becoming a ‘death trap’ for commuters as more than 305 people have lost their lives in train accidents over last four years, a railway report said.
Berhampur Railway Station is the biggest railway station in south Odisha. Every day, 70 to 80 trains pass through it. The Government Railway Police (GRP) and Railway Protection Force (RPF) work here for the security of the passengers.
There are three major reasons for the deaths – suicide, falling from trains and being hit by trains while crossing tracks.
A total of 305 unnatural deaths have been registered with the GRP between 2016 and 2019. Out of this, 132 deceased persons are yet to be identified.
The GRP said it is very difficult to recognise the face of mutilated bodies. It is easy to inform the family members of the deceased whose identity cards can be found. Otherwise railway police close the files of the deceased as they were unable to get the identities of the persons.
This year 46 unnatural deaths were registered with the GRP till October. From them, police could not find the identification of 24 persons.
According to GRP, there are nine deaths on an average every month and efforts are being made to avoid the fatalities. “We are trying to educate people. We have put up stickers at several places and organise various awareness campaigns to sensitise commuters,” a senior official of GRP said.
| Year | Cases | Unidentified |
| 2016 | 99 | 37 |
| 2017 | 87 | 35 |
| 2018 | 73 | 36 |
| 2019 | 46 | 24 |
The figures are till October 10, 2019
PNN
Berhampur, Railway Station, Lives, Commuters, GRP, Trains