Delhi stampede: Crowd management measures intensified; Vaishnaw guidelines out conspiracy

Ashwini Vaishnaw. File
| Photograph Credit score: SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday (February 17, 2025) dominated out any conspiracy behind the stampede on the New Delhi station and stated there was no extraordinary rush both, at the same time as businesses enhanced crowd management measures by deploying extra safety personnel, creating holding areas and intense CCTV monitoring.

Sources stated a group of police officers visited the station on Monday to obtain the CCTV footage to find out the sequence of the occasions that led to the stampede on February 15 that left not less than 18 lifeless and 15 injured.

5 of the injured are nonetheless present process remedy in hospitals, at the same time as survivors continued to recount their near-death experiences and officers remained on the toe to make sure no untoward incident occurs.

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Railway Minister Vaishnaw stated holding areas can be created at 60 stations experiencing excessive footfalls, a separate crowd administration handbook can be formulated and consciousness can be raised amongst passengers to not sit at stairs.

Speaking in regards to the stampede, he informed mediapersons right here, “No conspiracy appears to be like in the intervening time.” He additionally stated data out there until now confirmed that there was no extraordinary rush both when the stampede broke out.

He additionally dismissed the platform change announcement as a reason behind the stampede, saying, “The inquiry committee is trying into it deeply.” Railway officers stated the entire capability of all 16 platforms on the busy New Delhi station at any time limit is 48,000 passengers as every platform can maintain 3000.

“On February 15, the day of the incident, between 6 p.m. and eight p.m., round 12,208 unreserved tickets had been bought. Whereas on different days, this quantity is normally round 9,600. Between 8 pm and 10 pm whereas 8,900 unreserved tickets are bought on different days, on February 15, 7,600 unreserved tickets had been bought,” a railway official stated.

“One Prayagraj Particular was operated from platform quantity 12 at 7:15 pm and seeing the rise within the sale of tickets, yet another particular was deliberate which was ready on the identical platform at 8:50 pm,” the official added.

An announcement was made round 8:30 p.m. for this Prayagraj Particular practice at platform 12, however some passengers acquired confused and thought that the announcement was made for Prayagraj Specific, the official stated.

“They had been at platform 14 to board the Prayagraj Specific however it seemed just like the announcement confused them they usually began transferring for platform no 12,” the official stated.

“Whereas climbing the steps, the place a whole lot of passengers had been sitting, one in every of them with a heavy load on his head, grew to become unstable and fell behind on different passengers inflicting a stampede,” the official added.

Mr. Vaishnaw stated the struggle room arrange at Rail Bhawan to get stay feed from varied stations together with New Delhi confirmed these stations did not have extraordinary crowds.

“We now have learnt from the previous failures and errors and that is the rationale such an enormous crowd of passengers have been managed so properly. Whereas within the earlier Kumbh Mela, solely 4,000 trains had been run, this time we deliberate 13,000 trains and 12,583 trains have already been operated to date,” he stated.