No sterilised hand gloves for Central railway porters yet

The Central railway has failed to provide disposable sterilised hand gloves to their licenced porters who lift accident victims, dead or injured, lying on the tracks risking their health, despite a Bombay high court order.

Activists said this is a violation of human rights. The railways are now saying that gloves are provided by the administration only for hospital use. “If the accident victim is suffering from AIDS, STD or any other disease, it is a health hazard to porters who carry the victim without hand gloves. Sometimes, we have to carry the decomposed body of a drug addict or beggar. Who will take care of our health?” asked a porter at Kalyan station.

Activist Samir Zaveri had filed a second PIL in the matter. Dr Sarosh Mehta had filed a writ petition in 2001 saying that the death toll in rail accidents increased due to the non-availability of tra-nsportation of the injured.