Covid-19: Three rail sections in Bengaluru closed

BENGALURU: With passenger services being suspended till April 14, South Western Railway on Saturday said three rail sections in Bengaluru division have been closed.
Presently, only freight trains carrying essential commodities are operational. Officials say KSR Bengaluru-Hassan, Bangarapet - Marikuppam and Bangarapet -Yelahanka Sections where there is no movement of goods trains have been closed for traffic.Dharmavaram - Penukonda Section via Sri SathyaSai Prasanthi Nilayam will also be closed from Sunday.

Perhaps this could be the first time in recent years that traffic movement in these sections is at a halt. Officials said the Bengaluru division has taken up various preventive and relief measures in the wake of Covid-19 outbreak.

Railway Protection Force staff in Bengaluru Division is providing cooked food to about 250 daily wage workers near KSR Bengaluru City railway station.

“Divisional Railway Hospital has earmarked three wards with 50 beds and full-fledged isolation facility to accommodate Covid-19 patients. 50% of doctors and paramedical staff have been given hands-on-training in use of ventilators.Other staff will be trained within next three to four days at a private hospital in Bengaluru” said a release from SWR.
Around 200 rooms in Supervisors’ Training Centre (STC) in Bengaluru City and Indian Railway Institute of Disaster Management (IRIDM) in Hejjala are available for quarantine facility.“Staff staying in far off places are being asked to attend duty at their nearest work place itself to avoid travelling.
Divisional Railway Manager and other branch officers along with medical staff are visiting offices in various sections and counseling the staff regarding social distancing and basic hygiene. Masks and sanitizers have been distributed throughout the division and staffs are using the same. During field contacts, no case of any serious illness has been reported,” it adds.
Ashok Kumar Verma,DRM Bengaluru also thanked Infosys Foundation for providing 200 litres of hand sanitizers under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). It has been distributed across the division.