Dr Sarosh Mehta moved Bombay HC stating that the railway authorities had failed to comply with HC directions regarding providing emergency medical help to accident victims.
Did the railways fail in providing emergency medical treatment to victims of Tuesday’s blasts? “Yes”, says Dr Sarosh Mehta, who on Wednesday moved Bombay High Court stating that the railway authorities had failed to comply with directions passed by the HC in 2004 regarding providing emergency medical help to accident victims.
Mehta, who had in 2001 filed a petition on emergency medical aid on railway platforms, was shocked to see on television how the injured were handled after the blasts. The railways had specifically been directed to ensure that each station had a minimum of two light-weight stretchers, hammals/porters for carrying the injured, on-call ambulances and emergency helplines. The authorities had been asked to ferry injured persons to the nearest government or private hospital. “However, on Tuesday, none of these facilities was available,” said Mehta’s lawyer Jamshed Mistry. Realising the urgency of the matter, Justice RM Lodha and Justice DY Chandrachud have fixed the hearing for July 19.
“It is shocking that the railways have been assuring the court on various occasions that all the directions have been complied with. However, Tuesday’s incidents blew their cover,” said Mistry. Locals were seen carrying the injured in bed sheets and chairs.
“Many people lost their lives due to the unprofessional handling of their injuries,” said Mistry. Ambulances were nowhere to be seen, those who tried calling the helpline (23004000) got no response and stretchers and hammals were not pressed into action. Most victims were rushed to government hospitals instead of the closest private hospital, thereby losing precious time.
Though Mistry accepted that the blasts did pose an exceptional scen-ario for Western Railway he said the situation could have been worse in case of a derailment and head-on collision of trains.
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