Bhubaneswar: Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw today reviewed preparedness by the East Coast Railway and South Eastern Railway in view of Cyclone Dana and instructed the authorities to ensure maximum preparedness with minimal disruption.
He also advised that care must be taken to ensure minimum inconvenience to passengers.
Chairman & CEO of Railway Board, all Board Members, General Managers of East Coast Railway and South Eastern Railway, and Divisional Railway Managers of Kharagpur, Chakradharpur, Adra and Khurda Road participated in the review meeting.
In the meeting, General Managers of East Coast Railway & South Eastern Railway provided the details regarding preparedness by Railways.
Round-the-clock dedicated war room at Bhubaneswar headquarters & Garden Reach (Kolkata), Divisional offices of Khurda Road, Visakhapatnam, Sambalpur, Chakradharpur, Adra, Ranchi, Kharagpur and Balasore.
These War Rooms will be manned by the officers of Engineering, S&T, Operating, Commercial & RPF so as to take any prompt decision on account of the cyclone and will ensure early restoration of services and infrastructure. War Room/Emergency Control Rooms are fully operational with 20 satellite phones for uninterrupted communication with power back up.
Specialized teams are positioned for the swift restoration of tracks, signalling systems, and electrification at various locations such as Soro, Jaleswar and other important stations. Diesel locomotives are also on standby to ensure train operations if power outages occur.
More than 600 staff is deployed at all strategic locations such as Bhojudih , Bokaro Steel City, Soro, Nimpura, Adra, Rajgoda, Bachhrawan, Kendua, Kalaghar, Tapang, Chatarpur, Palasa, Hindol Road, Radhakishorepur, Kenduapada, Raghunathpur, Haridaspur with adequate stocks of restoration materials.
Relief vans, 49 Heavy machineries and seven trolleys and other equipment are also kept on standby to respond to any emergencies.
Stations along the Bhubaneswar-Visakhapatnam corridor are being closely monitored due to the Red Alert issued for coastal areas. Catch water drains and side drains are being cleared of obstructions like silt and vegetation. Standby Vehicles with drivers are planned at Soro, Balasore, Jaleswar, Kharagpur and Digha in order to tackle passenger evacuations and other contingencies.
DG power is planned as an alternative mode of power in Kharagpur-Panskura section, Kharagpur-Bhadrak Section, Tamluk- Haldia Section &Tamluk- Digha section respectively.
Trains are to be controlled/stopped at stations depending upon the wind force and are planned to be regulated with all safety measures. Several train services have been cancelled, diverted, or short-terminated to minimize risk to passengers. These decisions are detailed in official bulletins, and passengers are advised to monitor updates via official railway channels.
Help Desk will be set up at all important stations viz. Puri – 8926100356, Khurda road 8926100215, Bhubhneswar- 8114382371, Cuttack– 8114382359, Paradip- 8114388302, Jajpur Keonjhar Road-8114382342, Bhadrak-8114382301, Palasa- 8114382319, Brahamapur- 8114382340 and Frequent Announcements will be made amongst passengers as well as public.
Medical Team with adequate Chlorine Tablet, Bleaching & other medicines are placed at Mecheda, Tamluk, Kharagpur & Balasore to tackle any need/emergency. Adequate food arrangements with baby food are made at all important stations.
