The station master and some staffers from the Palghar police station arrived at the spot and managed to stop an oncoming train from passing over the fractured rail in the nick of the time, thereby averting a major tragedy
Patekar spotted the crack on his way to the platform. Pics/Hanif Patel
An observant teenager helped avoid what could have been a big rail tragedy on Western Railway (WR) on Tuesday night. Kelwe Road resident Aakash Patekar, 19, spotted a fractured railway track at Palghar station and alerted authorities just before another train was to pass over it. The crack was fixed soon after.
ADVERTISEMENT
Huge one
Patekar was on his way to the platform with his friend Jitesh Dagade when he saw the crack. "I usually board the 8:20 pm Churchgate local from Palghar. I was walking towards the platform, when I spotted a crack on the railway track. Since it was dark, I went close to confirm it and all my fears came true. With the help of my phone's flashlight, I saw the huge crack. I asked Jitesh to go to the station master's office and inform them about it."
Aakash Patekar
Some railway police officials said Aakash stood at the spot to stop a train if it came anywhere close to the spot of the fracture. "Soon, I saw two men approaching me, who identified themselves as policemen. The cops alerted the concerned authorities about the possible tragedy," said Patekar.
Crack repaired
The station master and some staffers from the Palghar police station arrived at the spot and managed to stop an oncoming train from passing over the fractured rail in the nick of the time, thereby averting a major tragedy. Railway authorities swooped into action thereafter to repair the crack. They fixed the crack by 8.35 pm, after which the train was allowed to go.
In helping authorities spot the crack, Patekar didn't end up missing his usual train. "I wanted to catch the same train that was stopped. Once the work was completed, I boarded the same local to go home," he said. On Wednesday evening, Patekar was also felicitated for his act by Palghar district Congress president Kedar Kale.
Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
