Title - Villagers block Rly track after accident One dead, two critically injured after car hit by a train a

Akalia (Bathinda) : Villagers blocked the Bathinda-Ferozepur railway line for over three hours after a woman died in a mishap on an unmanned railway crossing near Akalia-Kalan village on Bathinda-Jaitu road. The incident took place at around 11 am when the speeding Jind-Ferozepur Express hit a Maruti Zen car, bearing the registration number of Delhi.As per the villagers, the car broke down on the railway tracks and was being pushed by the man and his nephew while the woman remained seated inside the car. They failed to notice the approaching train, which hit the car and dragged it for more than half a kilometer. While the woman died in the accident, the other two were critically injured and are undergoing treatment at a private hospital.The injured were rushed to the hospital by the volunteers of an NGO, Sahara Jan Sewa. Police sources confirmed only one death so far.The deceased has been identified as Karamjit Kaur. Dharam Singh and Devinder Singh, the two injured, are stated to be in a critical condition. The deceased woman’s parents are residents of Akalia village and she was married into a nearby Khemuana village. The family members were on their way to Khemuana from Akalia. A large number of villagers gathered around the place of accident and blocked the railway tracks in protest against the unmanned railway crossing where similar accidents have taken place in the past as well.

Villagers said they had written to the railway authorities umpteen times, requesting them to construct a railway crossing but to no avail.

They said three tractors got badly damaged in another accident while many people have lost their lives in the accidents at the unmanned railway crossing in the past few years.

Recently, a gurudwara preacher from a nearby village also lost his life after he hit by train on the tracks.

Villagers said apart from appraising the railway authorities, MPs Paramjit Kaur Gulshan and Harsimrat Badal had also been informed.

Joint secretary of the All India Youth Akali Dal, Swaran Akalia said the railway authorities had failed to install the barriers due to which a large number of people had lost their lives in accidents.

He added that a train had hit a truck carrying gifts for a newlywed girl of a nearby village in the year 1991 and three people had lost their lives. He said a case was still pending in the court in this regard.

Railway officials, including the GRP and senior officials, visited the site of accident. While talking to Tribune News Service, assistant divisional engineer, Ashwini Kumar said efforts were on to man the railway crossings and the work would be completed within the next few months or so.

Meanwhile, in another car-train collision near Chottian village of Sangrur, situated on the border of Punjab and Haryana, two Moga residents including a child received serious injuries.

Senior railway officials, who rushed to the place of accident, around 120 kilometers from Bathinda, said the injured, Amit and Anshul were in a Maruti Wagon-R car and were hit by the Jakhal-Hisar passenger train at around 9.30 am. The accident took place four kilometers ahead of Jakhal town of Haryana.