In a rare display of presence of mind, a village woman named Omvati averted a major rail accident and saved hundreds of lives, in Etah district in Uttar Pradesh. The incident happened on Thursday near Kusba railway station which is 20 kilometres from the district headquarters.
Going to the fields, 65-year-old Omvati who belongs to the Guleria village in Avagarh block saw a massive crack in the railway track. She immediately understood the gravity of the situation and was keen to alert the driver of the next train to pass the track. Unable to find anything suitable which would draw the attention of the locomotive driver, she undraped her red saree and started fluttering it on the tracks.
ट्रेन रुकने के बाद मौके का वीडियो है। pic.twitter.com/w8LIodu11v
— SACHIN KAUSHIK (@upcopsachin) April 1, 2022
She hung the saree later on two branches taken from a nearby tree to alert the oncoming train.
The passenger train from Etah to Tundla which was on the track spotted the prominent saree and applied the brakes in time. On being informed about the crack, the driver got in touch with his seniors who dispatched a team and got it repaired.
This train continued its journey after a break of an hour.
The driver gave the woman Rs.100 as a token of his appreciation for her presence of mind. She informed that she thought the red coloured saree would definitely catch the attention of the driver as the colour is the sign of danger.
श्रीमती ओमवती।
सुबह खेत पर काम करने जा रही थीं।
ट्रैक पार करते समय अचानक टूटी पटरी पर नजर पड़ गई।
ट्रेन आने वाली थी, इन्होंने समझदारी दिखाते हुए अपनी लाल रंग की साड़ी को लकड़ियों की मदद से ट्रैक पर खड़ा कर दिया।ट्रेन रोकी गई, पटरी ठीक हुई तब 30 मिनट बाद ट्रेन रवाना हुई।👏 pic.twitter.com/j4SJPTN3kl
— SACHIN KAUSHIK (@upcopsachin) March 31, 2022
A Uttar Pradesh policeman, Sachin Kaushik shared the details of the incident and pictures of the woman and the broken track on Twitter. He wrote: "Ms Omvati spotted the broken tracks while going to work in her field in the morning. When the train was about to arrive, she spread her red saree on the track with the help of wood across the track as a signal of danger."
