Children, parents continue to risk lives by crossing rail tracks

Risking their lives, children along with their parents have been crossing railway tracks near schools in Shashtri Nagar and Sarabha Nagar here. Despite the glaring violations, no effort is being made by the railway authorities and school managements to stop the practice.

During a survey conducted near two schools, BCM Senior Secondary School in Shashtri Nagar and Sacred Heart Convent School, Sarabha Nagar, a large number of parents w

It is learnt that the parents resort to the practice to save time. Instead of crossing the manned railway crossing to reach the schools, they park their vehicles alongside the tracks, which is only 500m from the railway crossing, and walk towards the schools by crossing the rail line.

When a woman carrying her two children crossing the tracks was questioned about the rationale behind the same, she said when she parks her two-wheeler alongside the tracks and cross the line on foot, she saves a lot of time. The most important thing is that earlier when she used to park her vehicle outside the school in Shashtri Nagar and reached there without crossing the tracks, especially during the dispersal time, she used to stuck in traffic jam on the road outside the school but by crossing the tracks, she now picks up children and after a two-minute walk, she reaches near the vehicle and heads towards their house.

“I know it’s illegal to cross the tracks and risky as well but I pay extra care while crossing the same. Especially when the railway crossing is closed, we try not to cross the tracks till the train passes the line,” the woman said.

“If we do not cross the tracks, we have to cross the railway overbridge or railway under bridge to reach the school, which leads to wasting of our time and energy,” said a parent, who daily cross the tracks to drop his child at a school in Sarabha Nagar.

Notably, in May this year, a message was circulated in a parents’ group of Sacred Heart Convent School, Sarabha Nagar, which read: “Dear parents, despite the reminder posted in your class groups, many of the parents and students were seen crossing the railway tracks. We have received some pictures clicked by traffic police officials, which show your negligence towards alerts and requests sent by the school. Also, many parents have been seen parking their vehicles on the road, feeding breakfast and revising lessons with their wards, causing inconvenience to others. It is a final and last reminder to beware of crossing the tracks and causing traffic chaos. The school will not be responsible for any strict or legal action taken against you by the administration.”