In a remarkable act of civic responsibility, Basiala village Sarpanch Gurdev Singh has stepped in as an unofficial gateman at an unmanned railway crossing in Gadhshankar, Hoshiarpur, highlighting both community resilience and administrative gaps.With no railway staff deployed at the crossing, which serves residents of Basiala, Rasulpur and nearby villages, Gurdev Singh has taken it upon himself to ensure safety. Each day, upon receiving information about an approaching train, he rushes from his shop to the site, halts traffic, and signals the train with a green flag before allowing it to pass.The crossing has a troubled history. Around five to six years ago, railway authorities had shut it using iron girders, severely affecting local connectivity.Villagers were forced to take longer and riskier routes, prompting protests in 2022. During the agitation, unidentified persons removed the girders, effectively reopening the passage.Subsequent attempts by railway officials to reseal the crossing, even with police presence, were met with strong resistance from locals. After the 2022 Assembly elections, the area’s MLA facilitated its reopening, but no formal safety measures were introduced.In an effort to manage the risk, the gram panchayat had hired a private gateman on a monthly honorarium of Rs 10,000.However, the arrangement collapsed when the worker recently quit, leaving the crossing unattended once again.“Now I handle everything myself,” Gurdev Singh said, explaining that he relies on updates from a gateman at a nearby crossing. He typically manages traffic during scheduled train timings in the afternoon, though irregular goods trains add to the danger.Residents have voiced serious concerns about safety, particularly for women, children and farmers who frequently use the crossing. They say alternative routes are neither practical nor safe, and repeated appeals to authorities have gone unanswered.The issue has now reached higher levels. Former MP Avinash Rai Khanna has raised the matter with Ravneet Singh Bittu, Union Minister of State for Railways, who has assured that a team will inspect the site and take necessary action.Until a permanent solution is implemented, villagers continue to rely on the vigilance and dedication of their Sarpanch—an extraordinary stopgap amid the looming risk of a serious accident.