look news india
New Delhi/Special Correspondent. Railway Board has taken a very important and strict decision related to security for crores of daily and long distance passengers traveling by Indian Railways. In order to prevent incidents of fire during travel in trains and to protect the life and property of passengers, the Railway Administration has given instructions to strictly implement the order of shutting down the power supply of charging points of mobiles, laptops and other electronic gadgets in all trains from 11:00 pm to 05:00 am. After incidents of overheating inside running trains and explosions in power banks have come to light in recent times, the Railway Board has considered it a serious threat to safety and has instructed all zonal railways to disconnect power from the main switch at night.
According to railway safety officials, in the last few months, cases of sparks, smoke and explosions have been reported due to overheating of mobile phones kept on charging overnight by passengers in trains running on various routes and overheating of cheap power banks of local companies. Due to deep sleep, even a small fire in the bogie at night can turn serious in no time.
Curtains, bedsheets, blankets and mattresses in AC and sleeper coaches of modern trains are of inflammable nature. At night when most of the passengers are sleeping, flames arising from short circuit or battery explosion can cause huge loss of life. Many times, passengers forget to put their phone or power bank on charging, due to which electronic devices overheat and explode due to voltage fluctuations. Sensing this serious danger, the Railway Board has taken this precautionary step of power cut at night.
After this strictness of the Railways, now charging sockets will not work in any bogie during 6 hours of the night. Passengers will have to make some changes in their daily routine under this arrangement:
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Charge the device only in the evening: If you are traveling in a long distance train, then fully charge your mobile phone, laptop or power bank before 11 pm, so that there is no problem regarding connectivity at night.
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Supply will start again at 5 am: The main power supply to the charging sockets will be restored by the coach attendant or automatic timer system at 5 am, after which passengers will be able to charge their phones.
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Keep an eye on local and local power banks: Railway Protection Force (RPF) and ticket checking officers have also been instructed to ensure that no passenger uses prohibited or poor quality extension boards in the train sockets during regular patrolling.
Railway Board has made it clear in the circular issued to all the zonal general managers that this rule should not be followed only on paper, but direct accountability of the train running staff (TTE, coach attendant and RPF escort team) should be fixed at the ground level.
It will be the responsibility of the on-board electrical staff to disconnect the charging circuit from the control room and main distribution panel of the coach at 11 pm. If charging points are found operational in any coach during night time, departmental inquiry and action will be taken against the concerned staff. Apart from this, passengers are also being warned through announcements at stations about jail and fine under Section 164 and 165 of the Railway Act for carrying cigarettes, beedis, matchsticks or any kind of inflammable substance in the train.
All major zones, including Northern Railway, East Central Railway, Western Railway and North Eastern Railway, have appealed to passengers to follow this rule through their official social media handles and digital display boards at stations. Railway officials say that this rule has been implemented not for the inconvenience of the passengers, but to ensure their safe travel. A small carelessness while traveling in a train can prove fatal for the passengers of the entire compartment, hence not using charging sockets at night is the biggest basis for safe train travel.