How to Travel Safely in Indian Railway?
How to travel safely in Indian railway? This is how every commuter of the Indian railway should think in the context of growing safety risks in the railway journey. We can approach the matter from a dual angle. First, what the traveler himself should do during his journey so as to ensure a safe journey. As far as possible, make it a point to travel with advance reservation. Unreserved status will place you in a precarious predicament during the journey and the compartment would be overcrowded and you will be deprived of even the very fundamental of human needs. Also, as it is unreserved, any passenger, bona fide or otherwise, can enter the compartment to the discomfiture of others. Often theft, robbery and other crimes are increasingly committed in the unreserved compartments.
Another safety measure that can be adopted in Indian railway travel is to keep your luggage minimum and safe. Avoid inflammable article such as gas stove, cooking gas, petrol, kerosene, etc. while traveling. It is unsafe to carry jewelry, costly gadgets, appliances, electronic equipments, excess cash, etc. during railway travel. Another safety risk is reportedly from conmen and criminals traveling as fellow passengers and offering innocent commuters drugged drinks and eatables and then robbing them. Hence, to travel safely, you should not accept any food articles from strangers. Other risks include carelessness in observing safety measures while the train is moving. Some passengers are found trying aerobic movements at the door while train is moving. Some are found swinging out of the train before the train stops, or stepping on to the platform while the train is still moving. Some others stand at the doorway freely while the train is moving at full speed. If you are particular about standing at the door, be sure you hold on to the handle tightly. It is very unsafe to stand at the door of a fast moving train as there is chance of you being pushed off by the swaying heavy door.
In order to travel safely in Indian railway, you need to keep a watch on the fellow passengers as well as the surroundings. This has become all the more necessary in the context of the growing of terrorism. While you travel in the Indian railway, you should ensure that no unauthorized, unattended or suspicious articles are left in the train, railway station, platforms or the railway tracks. In the event of any such knowledge, you should immediately alert the authorities.