THIS refers to the news item ‘Train collides with rickshaw in Sheikhupura, kills 14’ (July 7). A local police official was quoted as saying that the crossing was reported to have no barriers.

“There was neither any gate at the crossing nor a gaurd to stop traffic to clear the way for the train.”

These remarks put the accident in an incorrect perspective. It seems that the police officer who said did not know anything about railways. His statement creates a wrong impression that the railways was at fault for keeping the level-crossing unmanned. This is both false and misleading.

There are two types of railway crossings in Pakistan and India. One is a ‘manned level crossing’ and the other is an ‘unmanned railway crossing’.

A manned level crossing is one at which a gate is provided to open and close it and a gateman is stationed at it for 24 hours.

By the railway signalling system he receives a bell from the railway station that a train has departed from it towards the gate.

He then closes it and opens it after the train has passed the level-crossing. Apparently, this particular level-crossing was not a ‘manned level-crossing’ and, therefore, the railway was not required to put a barrier or barrier at it nor a man to ‘stop the traffic to clear the way for the train’ as the police officer observed.

The level-crossing involved in this accident was an ‘unmanned level-crossing’. The railway code provides the following rules to use such a level-crossing.

I had read the railway code prior to 1947 and that code pertained to BB & CI Railway (Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway). I am quoting its contents from memory and there may be minor discrepancy in it.

“The vehicle which approaches an unmanned level-crossing must stop at it. Then its driver should come out and look on both sides of the track and minutely listen.

“An approaching train generates a whining noise in the tracks two or three miles ahead of it and it can be easily listened. If he hears this whining noise, he should wait for the train to pass.

If he does not hear the whining noise, he should re-start his vehicle, approach the track and again see on both sides of the track and he should proceed further only if he is satisfied that no train is within two or three miles of the level crossing.

Had this rickshaw driver observed these rules? The police officer should have determined this first before making an observation about the cause of the accident and thus bringing the railways into disrepute without any justification.

In fact, this question must always be answered first before commenting on any accident at an unmanned railway-crossing.

S. MIRZAIrvine, USA