In yet another glaring example of deteriorating railway infrastructure, the roof of the ticket examiner (TTE) lobby at Platform No. 1 of Nagpur Railway Station collapsed on Thursday evening, just minutes after a retirement function concluded. Miraculously, no one was injured, but the close call has once again exposed serious lapses in maintenance by the railway engineering department.
Sources informed that the Indian Railway Ticket Checking Staff Organization (IRTCSO) had organized a farewell programme at 4 pm in the TTE lobby located near the Mumbai-end on Platform 1. Over 50 ticket checking staff had gathered to bid farewell to Central Ticket Examiner (CTE) Shrikant Wagh from Nagpur and Head TTE Shantilal from Sevagram.
The incident is the latest in a worrying pattern of structural failures. Earlier, in Ajni Railway Colony, plaster from ceilings had fallen in two separate TTE quarters. Just days ago, the parapet wall on Platform 2 of the main station had collapsed as well.
"Despite repeated red flags and close shaves, the railway administration has failed to initiate urgent and comprehensive repairs. What's more disturbing is the silence of employees' unions, which have not raised their voices despite clear threats to staff safety," said a section of TTES.
"The continuing incidents raise serious concerns about the negligence of the railways' engineering and maintenance departments. Safety audits and structural inspections appear either absent or ineffective. It's not just about repairing cracks; it's about fixing a system that's increasingly putting lives at risk," they said.