23 December,2010 07:09 AM IST | | Vedika Chaubey
RPF arrested 37 people most of whom are drug addicts for stealing lead wires from railway signals, forcing motormen to stop at every signal
Delayed trains are a way of life for daily commuters in the city, often left kicking their heels at stations without being given an appropriate reason by the Railways.
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But the railway police now have a reason for the unaccounted delays drug addicts who try to steal signal cables.
Due to signal failure, motormen are forced to run trains at restricted speed and that has resulted in unpunctuality of trains
"People shacking near railway tracks steal the lead wire from railway signals and sell it to junk dealers for a few rupees that they spend on getting cheap drugs.
Due to signal failure, motormen are forced to run trains at restricted speed.
They are bound to stop at every signal as a safety measure and every subsequent train gets delayed one after the other," said a Railway Protection Force (RPF) official.
Between January and November this year, the RPF registered 46 cases of signal wire theft and arrested 37 people.
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"Most of those arrested are drug addicts," an RPF official said. The lead wires recovered from them were worth Rs 46,940.
P C Sinha, senior deputy security commandant, RPF, Central Railway, said, "During the year 2010, various incidences of severed cables in Mumbai division were reported.
It has resulted in unpunctuality of trains. We have caught the offenders from different areas of Mumbai and Thane."
Most offenders were caught between Thane and Kalyan, particularly between Diva, Dombivli and Kalyan.
Other than the theft, there is the damage caused to the wires when thieves cannot remove them successfully. "These thieves do not succeed in stealing the signal wire every time.
They try tugging and pulling at it, and leave it damaged when it doesn't come off, and passengers have to face the delay," said an RPF inspector.
A total of 115 cases of lead wire damages were registered and 95 were detected by the RPF. "We are trying our best to control this crime and ensure punctual running of trains," added Sinha.
The two-and-a-half inch signal cable, available at a hardware shop for Rs 15, can create big disruptions in the operation of railways.
The cable primarily consists of a copper wire and is used to run the railway signalling system. The signals, laid in the open alongside tracks, are often a target of thieves as their constant surveillance is difficult, cops say.
Passengers have no sympathy for the railways as they feel the latter does not provide any sort of security near the tracks.
Manian P from Malad, who was a victim in the 2009 incident, said, "Our system gives opportunities to criminals, making it conducive for them to steal cables. It is the people who suffer.
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The violators should be asked to pay the compensation to the people who suffer."
In the past
On February 4, 2009 RPF had arrested Rakesh Panchal (25) for stealing a railway signal cable near Malad. Panchal was a drug addict and an inveterate thief, police say.
Over four lakh passengers were stranded for over six hours, 80 train journeys had to be cancelled, 32 people were arrested, and 12 policemen were injured.
Panchal had been caught for a similar act earlier also. He used to steal wires, metal plates and suchlike from railway tracks and sell it to scrap dealers for paltry amounts.
Penalty
Such type of an act is registered under unlawful possession act. If caught, the penalty includes a fine of
Rs 2,000 or imprisonment up to a month.
