Another rail piece found on tracks near Uran; sabotage suspected

Mumbai: In yet another suspected act of sabotage within a fortnight, a six-foot long discarded overhead equipment was found lying on the rail tracks between Jasai and Dapoli stations near Uran in the wee hours yesterday, sending the Central Railway officials into a tizzy.

The incident took place around 3 AM on Wednesday when an alert driver of a JNPT bound goods train, coming from Ratlam in MP spotted it and applied the brakes resulting in a halt around 50 metres ahead of the abandoned rail piece, a railway official said.

Subsequently, a FIR against unknown persons was lodged with the Panvel City Police under relevant sections of IPC and Railway Act, said the official. He said the operating staff was already on high alert following the Diva incident last month.

According to Sachin Balode, senior divisional security commissioner (RPF) of Mumbai Division of Central Railway, an investigation into the (current) incident is underway and “we are yet to ascertain whether it is an act of track sabotage.”

This is third such incident since January 24 when a 7-meter-long rail piece, weighing around 400 kgs was found placed on the tracks near Diva station adjoining Mumbai. The alert train driver of Madgaon-Dadar Janshatabdi Express had then averted a mishap by applying emergency brakes.

Earlier this week, on February 6, a huge piece of rail rod was found placed on the tracks between Kalamboli and Taloja stations at Navi Mumbai in Raigad district.