Cases of ‘gate dashing’ at level crossings on rise around city

Aarti Kapur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 13

As many as 14 cases of ‘gate dashing’ (crossing the level-crossing while the barrier is being closed) have been registered by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) in the Ambala division till May this year.

The violation has become a serious problem in the division over the last two years. Majority of the violators who have been booked are truck drivers and auto-rickshaw drivers, who tried to go past the level crossing while the boom barrier was being lowered for passage of a train.

The RPF, which had organised an awareness week, particularly against ‘gate dashing’, from June 6 to 11, registered cases against five under Section 147 of the Railways Act as they were found crossing the railway line while barrier was being closed.

RPF records revealed that for the last two years, the problem of ‘gate dashing’ has increased in the areas under the jurisdiction of the city unit of the force.

As per reports, the RPF registered 20 cases in 2015 and the highest fine of Rs 15,000 was imposed on a violator who was caught jumping the signal at the level crossing in Baltana. Last year, as many as nine cases were decided and Rs 54,000 was imposed as fine.

In 2014, six cases were registered and all were decided. Fine of Rs 21,000 was imposed on the violators.

RPF Station House in-charge Inspector GS Waraich said the problem of ‘gate dashing’ had increased in this area over the past two years. He said to prevent untoward incidents, the RPF had been deploying personnel at some places where the number of complaints of ‘gate dashing’ was high, but people still violate the rules risking their and others lives. To check the violation, the RPF had been registering cases against the offenders and imposing a high penalty on them, he said.