A major workplace accident on Saturday afternoon at the Railway Coaching Depot of South East Central Railway (SECR) Division in Bilaspur Railway Zone has left a contractual cleaner battling for life, once again exposing glaring lapses in safety standards and contractor oversight within Indian Railways. The victim, identified as 28-year-old Pratap Burman of Mulmula, was cleaning the roof of a spare AC LHB coach around 1 pm, when he came in direct contact with a live high-tension Overhead Equipment (OHE) line, with supply of 25KV (25,000 volts). Eyewitness workers said Burman received two severe electric shocks, writhed on the roof for several seconds, and then collapsed onto the ground.

 

He sustained deep burns across much of his body along with head and facial injuries. Initial treatment was attempted at the Railway Hospital, but the absence of burn-care equipment forced an immediate referral to Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Sciences (CIMS). There too, inadequate facilities pushed the family to shift him further to Apollo Hospital, where doctors described his condition as “extremely critical.” Delays in treatment and lack of functional infrastructure have compounded the crisis for the young worker. Co-workers alleged that Burman, a water cleaner, was sent atop the rake of a spare coach without the high-tension power supply being shut down, at the instance of his contractor, under the supervision of a senior railway officer at the depot. They termed it a “direct act of negligence” by both the contractor and the depot administration.

 

“There are no helmets, no safety belts, no insulated tools-workers are pushed into life-threatening tasks with only three-month contracts,” one colleague said. Saturday’s incident has fuelled strong anger among depot staff, who demanded strict accountability and legal action against those responsible. They pointed out that similar accidents had occurred earlier, but each time responsibility was evaded. “Unless systemic safety protocols are enforced, these tragedies will keep recurring,” a union representative remarked. Till the reports last went for print, Burman remained under intensive care, with doctors monitoring vital functions amid extensive burn injuries. His family and fellow workers kept vigil at the hospital.