Milind Deouskar, divisional railway manager, Pune, said the Railways decided to construct the compound after other options to ward off encroachment and trespassing were not successful. (File)THE PUNE Division of Indian Railways has planned to construct 1,200-km-long wall to prevent trespassing and encroachment on its land and property. The wall will cost at least Rs 700 crore, and the project was approved by the Railway Board Engineering in November last year.
Milind Deouskar, divisional railway manager, Pune, said the Railways decided to construct the compound after other options to ward off encroachment and trespassing were not successful. “We have tried various ways to prevent trespassing and obstructions have been put up at many places. But local residents have brought the walls down in many sections. It is a major cause of concern,” said Deouskar.
“Concerned over the rise in the number of deaths, we will construct the wall along the tracks to prevent intrusion. It would cost at least Rs 700 crore to build a wall along the 1,200-km stretch in the division. It costs around Rs 60 lakh to construct a 1-km-long boundary wall,” said Deouskar.
After a train mowed down 60 people who had gathered on the tracks to watch a Ravan effigy being burnt in Amritsar on Dussehra in October, the Indian Railways had decided to build walls to fence its tracks and ward off trespassers in residential areas.
The division has identified spots that are prone to accidents due to trespassing. These areas will be given preference for construction of the compounds, officials said. Between January and November 2018, the Pune Division recorded the death of 514 people, a majority of who were trespassers on tracks.
“We have been organising campaigns, holding meetings with local residents to remove encroachments on our property. But these have not made much difference to the situation. We need a better strategy to tackle the situation and compound building is one of them,” said Deouskar.
