Mohan Kuthar
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Oct 28: On October 27 evening around 4:30 pm, two pedestrians from out of town and five locals from Thokkottu found themselves in a perilous situation on the railway tracks at Thokkottu Olapete. All seven had climbed over the iron barriers installed by the railway department and crossed one set of tracks. Suddenly, hearing a train horn, they halted in the middle, only to see another train approaching on the other track. About eight women and children, trapped between two moving trains, were forced to plead for their lives.
A young woman from out of town, caught between the trains, shared her distress. “I was visiting relatives in Thokkottu Olapete for the first time in years, walking the same path locals use every day. Though there are barriers, a gap exists beside it, which pedestrians navigate. Unfortunately, as we crossed, a train arrived on one track and, within seconds, another came on the parallel track. Those terrifying moments felt like our lives were hanging by a thread.”
Residents are now demanding that the railway department construct an underpass before a fatal incident occurs. This issue affects students, women, elderly residents, and laborers who cross these tracks daily. Thokkottu Olapete is a bustling commercial area with schools, colleges, churches, mosques, temples, and other places of worship, necessitating safe crossing options for the over 1,000 people who cross the railway track each day.
In August 2024, social activist Cyril D’Souza led a protest organized by Ullal Student Union, advocating for an underpass. During this protest, Ullal Nagarasabha member Dinakar Ullal shared a 40-year struggle with the railway department to address this issue. Despite these efforts, the request remains unfulfilled.
The community raised this concern with the newly elected MP Brijesh Chowta and central railway minister V Somanna, urging them to address Thokkottu Olapete's urgent issue. However, after two months, neither the MP, the minister, nor the railway department has responded.