Tight security arrangements are being made at the New Delhi Railway Station from February 17 after the recent stampede that claimed 18 lives on February 15, said police. To manage the crowd at the station, Delhi Police along with the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Government Railway Police (GRP) has deployed personnel at the station.
An official stated that despite the incident that took place on February 15, the spot was still overcrowded on February 16 as passengers were struggling to board trains. He further mentioned that To stop any more incidents, they have deployed quick reaction teams, increased patrols, and erected barricades. Additionally, CCTV surveillance has been improved, with control centres keeping an eye on live footage to manage crowds.
Temporarily, the Northern Railway has stopped the sale of Platform Tickets from 4 PM to 11 PM for next week. This step is taken to ensure smooth passenger movement.
Since there was a mix-up in the train announcement, passengers got confused and moved to platform 16 from a narrow stairway. The surge in their movement caused the stampede. The crowd became a human bottleneck, with people trying to descend and others trying to move up trapped between them. Within minutes, there was a terrible crush as panic spread and people started to tumble.
The Indian Railways has announced a compensation of Rs. 10 lakh for the families of deceased and Rs. 2.5 lakh for the ones who were seriously injured in this stampede. The ones who sustained minor injuries will be given Rs. 1 lakh from the Indian Railways.
On February 16, thousands of people were still struggling for space on platforms and foot-over bridges, and the traffic situation was almost unchanged.