Sewer line under rly track caves in, tragedy averted

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, August 24

The alertness of a railway gateman averted a major tragedy when a portion of sewerage beneath the track caved in near the Gidderbaha railway station on Saturday evening. Notably, the Bikaner-Abohar passenger train had just left for Abohar at 5.47 pm when the gateman spotted a hole under the track and showed a red flag to the driver. The train was immediately stopped.

Till the time of filing this report, two trains were reportedly affected on the track. Meanwhile, the work to fill the hole with soil was started by Railways officials and Water Supply and Sanitation Board.

Rakesh Mohan Makkar, Sub-Divisional Officer, Water Supply and Sanitation Board, said, “The sewerage was laid in the 1970s. The recent rains might have damaged it today. The efforts to plug in the hole have started but nearly 30 per cent sewerage of the town will remain affected for some time now. We will seek approval for some alternative arrangement.”