Again: Pandrol clips missing from track near Daliganj station in Lucknow

lucknow

Updated: Dec 15, 2017 14:33 IST

Security agencies went into a tizzy on Thursday morning after they found around 25 pandrol clips missing from a track near the Daliganj railway station in Lucknow.

This was the second such incident within 10 days wherein clips used to keep railway tracks intact with the sleepers were found missing.

On December 4, around 300 pandrol clips were found missing from the track between Badshahnagar and Daliganj crossing. It was seen as a plot to derail trains and hence the matter was passed on to the ATS and STF for in-depth investigation. IG ATS Asim Arun had termed it an act of sabotage and said three teams were probing into the matter.

Read more| Clips missing from Badshahnagar-Daliganj track: Now, a system to detect breaks in railway tracks

However, the second incident in the same area has posed a serious threat to train operations in Uttar Pradesh as the removal of clips can also lead to derailment. In January 2017, a goods train in Unnao got derailed due to missing clips.

The issue came to fore on Thursday morning when some locals spotted a few children playing with some pandrol clips near Nirala Nagar railway crossing. The locals — Virendra Yadav and Imtiyaz-ul-Haq informed gateman Shyambabu who alerted station authorities.

“Around 25 clips from six sleepers were found missing on the track between Nirala Nagar crossing gate number 6 and Daliganj railway crossing,” said a senior railway officer.

Read more| ATS to assist probe into missing railway track clips: DGP

By the time, staffers spotted the missing clips Kathgodam Express, Gorakhpur Intercity and around half a dozen other trains had already passed over the track.

The approaching Barabanki Memu was halted at the Daliganj railway station while a few trains were halted at the Badshahnagar station.

Vijaylakshmi Kaushik, divisional railway manager (DRM) NER and other railway officers rushed to the site to take stock of the situation.

Alok Srivastav, PRO, NER Lucknow said, “Some clips were found missing from the track near Nirala Nagar crossing. It was found that the clips came off the track after getting loosened due to frequent train operations. Some alert citizens informed the Railways after they found some children playing with the clips. The clips were replaced immediately.”

Read more: Major train tragedy averted after multiple pandrol clips of railway track found missing in Lucknow

Vijaylakshmi Kaushik said the clips were recently greased during routine maintenance work. “Clips came out due to the vibrations caused by train movements. We have instructed staffers to tighten them,” she added.

LOCALS SAW KIDS PLAYING WITH CLIPS

The issue came to fore on Thursday morning when some locals spotted a few children playing with some pandrol clips near Nirala Nagar railway crossing.

The locals — Virendra Yadav and Imtiyaz-ul-Haq informed gateman Shyambabu who alerted station authorities.

“Around 25 clips from six sleepers were found missing on the track between Nirala Nagar crossing gate number 6 and Daliganj railway crossing,” said a senior railway officer.

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