Fire Erupts at Jharsuguda Railway Station, Halting Key Train Route
Train services on the busy Mumbai-Howrah route faced a major disruption on Tuesday morning. A fire broke out at the telephone exchange unit on platform number one of Jharsuguda railway station. The incident led to nearly two hours of halted operations, causing inconvenience to numerous passengers.
Panic and Evacuation as Smoke Engulfs Platform
Thick smoke quickly filled platform number one, creating a scene of panic among waiting passengers. Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel responded swiftly. They evacuated all passengers from the affected platform and cordoned off the area as a safety precaution.
Fire tenders arrived at the station promptly. Firefighters worked diligently and managed to contain the blaze in just over an hour. The exact extent of the damage to the telephone exchange unit and surrounding infrastructure remains under assessment.
Eyewitnesses Point to Overhead Cable Incident
Several passengers and local residents reported seeing repair work underway on the station's old foot overbridge prior to the fire. Eyewitness accounts suggest a critical sequence of events.
"Suddenly, a wire snapped and fell directly onto the overhead traction line," said Jhony Patra, a local resident who observed the incident. "This caused a loud short circuit. Soon after, cables on the footbridge itself caught fire. The flames then spread to the telephone exchange area on the platform."
Another resident, Debendra Mandal, first noticed the trouble around 11 am. "I saw heavy smoke billowing from the platform," he recounted. "When I reached closer, the smoke was pouring out of the telephone exchange. We immediately started alerting people. The fire brigade arrived shortly after and worked to put out the flames."
Restoration of Services and Official Response
Following the fire containment, railway authorities moved quickly to restore normal operations. An overhead equipment inspection car was dispatched to the site. Crews repaired the damaged traction wire, a crucial step for resuming train movement.
Train services on the Mumbai-Howrah route were successfully restored at approximately 1:04 pm. The station's public address system, vital for passenger communication, resumed functioning by about 2:04 pm.
Aditya Kumar Choudhary, the Senior Divisional Commercial Manager of the Chakradharpur Division, South Eastern Railway, addressed the incident. He confirmed that a wire-related problem triggered the event, leading to the fire tender call.
"The situation was brought under control efficiently," Choudhary stated. "Train operations have now returned to normal. However, we will initiate a thorough inter-departmental inquiry to investigate this incident in detail."
The disruption highlights the vulnerabilities in critical railway infrastructure. It also underscores the importance of swift emergency response to minimize passenger inconvenience and ensure safety.
