Author: Kalpana Verma
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: July 16, 2006
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/iep/sunday/story/8578.html
Introduction: The Western Railway Team
They were the first heroes-seven motormen
and seven guards. Fire extinguishers in hand, they joined relief efforts,
then kept an all-night vigil around their mangled train compartments, hungry
and tired, until the rakes were safely inside carsheds the next morning.
Next, they had to get the railway service
running. General Manager Rajkamal Rao was not even in Mumbai, but he got on
the phone and planned everything along with Additional General Manager Vivek
Sahai, an experienced hand having been divisional railway manager of Central
Railway when the Mulund blast occurred in March 2003. They chalked out plans
to the last detail-who would be at the control room, who would coordinate
things at the sites, inspection of the sites, everything.
''It was team work,'' says Sahai. ''Everybody
played an important role, whether an official or a D-grade employee.''
Police permission was needed to remove the
damaged compartment from the tracks. A team of gangmen and pointsmen examined
the entire railway track, a tower wagon fitted with gas cutters and other
repair equipment was kept ready on the fifth line at Virar, Vasai Road, Andheri
and Mumbai Central stations.
Every field officer and employee was called
to report for duty immediately. Chief Mechanical Engineer S C Agarwal got
the workshop opened past midnight-more coaches and equipment had to be fetched.
Through the night, Divisional Railway Manager (Western Railway) Satya Prakash
monitored progress from the Mumbai Central control room.
At 11 pm, Rao reached Mumbai by car. And saw
his line's local trains beginning to ply gradually. ''Five thousand railway
workers were rushed to the affected areas. Our senior officials camped in
control rooms at Churchgate and Mumbai Central,'' said Rao.
That's why, 16 hours after the blasts, the line was fully restored.
