Pune: In a heroic act of vigilance, dedicated railway staff in Pune prevented a potential catastrophe as they discovered massive boulders obstructing the Chinchwad-Akurdi train track during routine maintenance.
Train manager of local spotted boulders
The alertness began when Train Manager Sandeep Bhalerao of the down Lonavala-Pune local train noticed the large boulders and promptly reported them to Station Master Mathew George at Chinchwad. George, acting swiftly, relayed the information to Loco Pilot MV Pavalkar and Guard DK Verma of the 16352 UP Nagarcoil-CSMT Express, advising them to proceed with caution.
Meanwhile, Senior Section Engineer (SSE) Shailendra Tripathi and a team of five trackmen arrived at Akurdi Station for weld testing near Km-172/7-8 on the UP line (Pune to Mumbai direction). To their alarm, they discovered a stack of significant boulders obstructing the track.
Civil Engineering Control alerted in time
Tripathi and his team also alerted the Civil Engineering Control in the Divisional Railway Manager's office in Pune, requesting trains in the vicinity to reduce speed. While working tirelessly, they cleared the track, ensuring its safety.
The team of railway heroes includes Senior Section Engineer Shailendra Tripathi and five track maintainers: Irshad Shaikh, Anirudh Shinde, Tofik Shaikh, Ganesh Nimble, and Sharad Deshmukh. Their vigilant and courageous efforts have undoubtedly averted a major train disaster in Pune, and they deserve our heartfelt salute for their dedication to passenger safety.
The first train on the UP line, the 11030 Kolhapur-CSMT Express, successfully passed through the cleared track at 4:25 pm, thanks to the swift actions of these dedicated railway staff members.
