DHR locomotive shed collapses, seven injured

DARJEELING, : Incessant rainfall over the past few days led to the collapse of a Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) locomotive shed near the railway station here on Tuesday, leaving six railway personnel and a contractual staff with minor injuries and debris falling on four DHR engines.

The incident occurred around 8:50 am.

Darjeeling MLA Noman Rai visited the spot and said seven people were injured in the incident.

“I visited the spot and found that seven people were injured in the incident. I have asked the officials for help in the proper treatment of the injured people,” Rai said.

Gorkha JanmuktiMorcha alleged that lack of proper maintenance of the heritage railway shed led to the collapse.

Morcha spokesperson Binita Roka said the DHR, a UNESCO World Heritage property, attracts a large number of tourists and is running profitably, but alleged that repeated demands for repairs to the shed had not been acted upon.

“The DHR has heritage status and is running in profit with a lot of tourists coming here specially to take a ride on it. However, today’s incident occurred due to the negligence of those running the toy train,” Roka said.

She alleged that the shed was in a dilapidated condition and collapsed without any landslide or other such incident.

The DHR, in a press release, lauded its staff for displaying “exceptional courage and duty” following the collapse.

The railway said the collapse, caused by severe weather, deposited rubble on the adjacent road, posing a potential hazard to traffic and pedestrians.

Despite sustaining injuries, the affected personnel first cleared the debris from the roadside to ensure smooth movement of vehicles before leaving for medical treatment, it said.

Katihar divisional railway manager KirendraNarah, who inspected the site, said the structure was old and made of tin sheets and that garbage and tree branches thrown onto the roof had added to its load.

“Moreover, there was continuous rainfall these past few days which all caused the roof to collapse. Luckily, no one was seriously injured and now we will again rebuild the structure,” Narah said.

He said the four DHR engines parked at the site were not damaged.

Narah said the process of renovating the heritage structure had taken time because of the various procedures involved as the DHR is classified as a heritage property.