Trains sentenced for smoking after train fires in Delhi-Dehradun Shatabdi Special

Trains sentenced for smoking after train fires in Delhi-Dehradun Shatabdi Special

Trains sentenced for smoking after train fires in Delhi-Dehradun Shatabdi Special

New Delhi : Rails are expected to attack those found smoking on trains and receiving severe penalties, even arrests, for damaging public property after a recent initial investigation by the Shatabdi Express coach, a senior official said on Saturday.

Authorities said the initial report found cigarettes or bidi butts thrown into the bin of one of the toilets, which were littered with dirty tissue paper.

This led to a fire at S5 New Delhi coach-Dehradun Shatabdi Special. The incident happened on March 13 near Raiwala in Uttarakhand.

Section 167 of the Railway Act stipulates that anyone found smoking in a room despite being denied or opposed by a passenger is liable to a fine of up to Rs 100.

Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal in a meeting with members of the Railways Board and local authorities urged them to take practical steps to warn passengers not to smoke on trains and urged that commuters who were making mistakes should be prevented from harming others by smoking on trains.

Trains sentenced for smoking after train fires in Delhi-Dehradun Shatabdi Special

Trains sentenced for smoking after train fires in Delhi-Dehradun Shatabdi Special

"The railways will fight smoking on trains. The fire may have started in one of the toilets and preliminary investigations revealed that the fire may have been caused by smoking cigarettes thrown in the trash.

"We are thinking of severe fines. In some cases, even a person who has caused damage to public railways may be arrested and endanger the lives of others in order to prevent reckless and immoral people," the chief executive said.

The official declined to be named as investigations into the incident continued.

In the blaze, the officer said he was so badly injured that the inside of the toilet caught fire and the floor cracked.

Officials say the passenger also provided a written statement to a four-member team conducting an investigation saying the fire detector had been extinguished at the start of the fire.

"The great tragedy has been avoided by the immediate response of the train crew as the coach was next to him.

"But we are not able to bring down the security guard. Many efforts have been made to prevent such incidents. Unscrupulous passengers cannot be allowed to risk the lives of others," said DJ Narain, a spokesman for the Train. PTI