Indian Railway passengers will not be able to use the charging points on trains for their electronic devices such as mobile phones, laptops etc. at night, reported Bangalore Mirror. The national transporter took this decision to prevent fire accidents.

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On March 13, the Delhi-Dehradun Shatabdi Express caught fire. The fire started in a coach and soon spread to seven other compartments. Luckily, no injuries were reported as all passengers were safely evacuated.

This apart, Indian Railways has decided to crack down on smokers as well. It is working on ways to increase in punishment for such wrongdoings. At present, passengers who smoke on trains are put under Section 167 of the Railways Act, and those who caught smoking are liable for a nominal fine of just Rs 100.

The report quoted, Sumit Thakur, the chief PRO of Western Railway, as saying, "Keeping in mind the safety of passengers, railways has decided to keep the charging points on trains switched off from 11 pm to 5 am."

Numerous fire incidents were reported in long-distance trains due to overheating of laptops and mobile phones that were being charged at night. The chief PRO of Western Railways said this order will be carried out in other railway zones as well soon.

The railways have also received complaints from passengers, stating that they were disturbed due to charging of mobile phones and laptop at night by fellow passengers.

The report further quoted an official from the Indian Railways stating that the national transporter had alerted its employees, including AC mechanics, to keep charging points off at night. Also, the officials have decided to conduct surprise checks and take strict action against staff if any lapses are found in train compartments.

Shivaji Sutar, the chief PRO of Central Railway, told Mumbai Mirror that an intensive safety awareness drive has been launched to educate railway users and railway and non-railway employees working in trains and at stations.

(Edited by : Jomy)

First Published:Mar 30, 2021 6:13 PM IST