Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: A total of three buffaloes who were moving in search of fodder were crushed to death on Railway tracks under Hyderabad Express, near Shivajinagar Gate on Tuesday afternoon.
The signal and the gate broke as buffaloes were thrown on the railway crossing gate after they were hit strongly by the train. The road was also closed to traffic.
The Shivajinagar gate remained closed for seven hours over the dispute as to who would remove dead buffaloes aside to repair the broken gate.
The citizens had to bear unnecessary inconveniences. As a result, there was a traffic jam on the Shahanoormiya Dargah flyover and Shivajinagar area for the second consecutive day on Wednesday.
There was a green signal for Hyderabad Express at Shivajinagar Railway gate, at 12.30 pm. There were vehicles parked on both sides of the gate.
In the meantime, five buffaloes reached the railway track from Deolai Chowk suddenly. The gateman saw the cattle and ran towards them. He tried to drive away buffaloes from the tracks.
Two of them went down from the tracks while the remaining three came under Hyderabad Express. The body parts of dead cattle were thrown away in the air while another buffalo fell on the signal and operation box of the gate.
The gate and signal broke and fell on the ground, paralysing the system. The traffic was paralysed for two hours when riders and drivers started taking back their vehicles.
Box
Who will remove dead animals?
Due to the power dash, a buffalo hit the railway gate. It would have been impossible to repair the gate unless the buffalo was removed. But, there was a big question before the administration of removing the dead animals from the tracks than an accident. Railway Police and local people informed Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC) and city police. Railway administration, railway police and city police said that it was the responsibility of CSMC to remove the dead animals from the tracks. The officials were calling CSMC officers, but, they did not get any response until 4.30 p.m.
Box
The mechanic arrived at 2 o'clock, gate was repaired at 8 o'clock
Railway administration sent mechanics at 2 pm but the issue of removing the animals from the tracks was not resolved. Finally, in the evening, Police Inspector of Jawaharnagar Police Station Vyakantesh Kendre took the initiative after holding discussions with the CSMC officers. The dead animals were removed from the tracks with the help of JCB at 7:30 p.m. This paved the way for repairing the gate.