300 bikes destroyed in Thrissur railway station fire accident

More than 300 bikes charred to ashes in a major fire accident at the railway station parking lot in Thrissur city didn’t evoke a big shock among officials. Countless warnings about the serious shortcomings in such parking lots were issued previously, too. Hundreds of railway passengers in Kerala park their bikes in such railway sheds and travel, even paying the parking fee fixed by the railways. However, neither the railways nor their contractors take any action to provide minimum facilities in such sheds. Although passengers have filed several complaints about helmet theft and petrol leakage at some of these centres, the railway authorities continued their laxity, failing to intervene in the issues.

The accident in Thrissur could have been avoided. If fire audits were conducted at such places within a specified period, many shortcomings could have been identified and resolved. The fire broke out at a parking centre in Thrissur at around 6:30 am on Sunday. The employee of the parking centre alleged that a spark from the railway electric line passing over the parking centre at the second gate caused the massive fire. Meanwhile, the Southern Railway confirmed in its investigation that it was not the case. The parking area does not have the minimum distance to be maintained from the railway electric line. Anyone who visits the place will be convinced of this breach of basic rules.

The fire spread to the ticket counter at the second gate and the railway engine parked on the track in the station yard. The computer equipment at the ticket counter was burnt. The railway engine was also partially burnt. Five units of the fire brigade reached the spot immediately and were able to douse the fire within an hour, averting further incidents. A detailed investigation into the cause of the fire is required to prevent similar situations in other parking sheds. State Police Chief Ravada Chandrasekhar visited the spot in person. The DGP informed that a special team was appointed for the investigation and instructed to check the security of all the busy 'pay and park' centres in Kerala.

There have been complaints in the past that some of the parking areas taken over by contract companies are used as major camps by anti-social elements. There have been several media reports citing serious shortcomings in the railway station parking centre in Thampanoor. An inspection conducted by the Railway SP found that parking is being done in areas outside the limits allowed by the contract. A passenger has to pay about thirty rupees to park a bike for a day. Heaps of paper, plastic and other garbage, prone to catching fire, are piled here. The fire disaster in Thrissur is a warning. There are more similar places in Kerala that are on the brink of tragedy. It would be wise to prudently manage and resolve issues at the earliest rather than letting the tragedy take its course.