Mysuru division of SWR holds Mock Drill
Mangaluru, Sept 21, 2021: Mysuru Division of South Western Railway in association with the National Disaster Response Force and agencies of the State Government, organized a full-scale Mock Drill at Ashokapuram Railway station today.
The mock drill was to test the efficacy of the Disaster Management Plan that includes a range of activities enabling the personnel from different departments of the railways to practice the safety-related measures during an emergency.
A scenario was created where two general second class passenger coaches SWR 91604 And SWR 92665 of T.No06220 Tirupati-Chamarajanagar Express derailed and capsized in Ashokapuram Railway Station limits around 9.56 hrs.
On receiving the message of the incident the Railway Officials rushed to the accident site to carry out relief and rescue operations as per standard protocols.
The NDRF team led by Harish Chandra Pandey, Inspector General Duty, and comprising twenty personnel also reached the site within 20 minutes of being notified.
Mysuru Division is equipped with all necessary relief requirements like Self-Propelled Accident Relief Train (SPART), Locomotive hauled accident relief trains, 140 Tonne crane, medical relief train with trained personnel’s including Doctors and paramedical staff to provide immediate help to the injured
Rahul Agarwal, Divisional Railway Manager, South Western Railway, Mysuru Division
The fire brigade team, doctors, and nursing staff from Railway Hospital along with ambulances were at the spot to provide first aid and assist in taking out about 15 passengers trapped in the two coaches. There were no fatalities or serious injuries to the passengers as per the initial report.
Rahul Agarwal, Divisional Railway Manager, South Western Railway, Mysuru Division, and other senior officials issues the necessary orders and oversaw the rescue operation. The rescue operation lasted for about 70 minutes and was completed by 11.40 am.
Rahul Agarwal explained the significance of such periodical drills, asserting that correct methods of conducting mock exercises would go a long way in improving the preparedness to deal with as well as in preventing disasters due to human factors.
“Minimizing the impact, be it loss of precious human lives or damage to infrastructure, are very important. Preventive measures are assigned the highest priority during such drills to mitigate the sufferings of the victims, as mandated by the Ministry of Railways (Railway Board),” he added.
He further stated that adequate maintenance schedules of all Relief/Rescue equipment, including those in Accident Relief Trains/cranes, are being ensured as laid down in the rules to ensure operational readiness at all times.
Mysuru Division is equipped with all necessary relief requirements like Self-Propelled Accident Relief Train (SPART), Locomotive hauled accident relief trains, 140 Tonne crane, medical relief train with trained personnel’s including Doctors and paramedical staff to provide immediate help to the injured, he added.
Apart from the rescue teams the personnel from the medical department with ambulances in attendance, Railway Protection Force, the Fire brigade, representatives of the civil administration, Government Railway Police, and Civil Police participated in the exercise.
