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What the CRS report says?
- The preliminary finding of the Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) that the derailment of the Indore-Rajendranagar Express near Kanpur that killed over 140 people was primarily caused by carriage and wagon defects should serve as a reality check for the Railway Ministry.
- While sabotage is indeed a factor in some derailments, bad railway performance is responsible for the majority.
- The CRS report has specifically identified a variation in the wheel gauges of two coaches, and found carriages being run beyond their useful life.
- This is not a rare instance where inquiries have found the Railways seriously deficient.
- In fact, the annual report of the CRS Lucknow for 2012-13 cites failure of railway equipment, derelict staff, rail fractures and, on some occasions, non-railway factors to be responsible for fatal accidents.
- The collision of the Hubli-Bengaluru City Hampi Express with a goods train that left 25 people dead, for instance, was caused by failure of staff.
What does Kakodkar committe says?
- The Kakodkar committee on railway safety found that out of 441 derailments it analysed, only about 15% were the result of sabotage, while the majority were caused by factors completely under the control of the railway administration.
What measures are to be taken to promote safety?
- India’s Railways serves the vital function of providing travel access to millions and have the responsibility of making it equitable and comfortable. It must also be safe.
- The Railway Ministry is pursuing a major safety initiative, the Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh, with a non-lapsable corpus of Rs.1,19,183 crore.
- The Finance Ministry says the Fund should rely mainly on internal resources, but there is a strong case for higher gross budgetary support to raise safety in a government-run transport network that has a universal service obligation.
- Replacing ageing and unsafe carriages with modern Linke Hofmann Busch coaches is the recommendation of Kakodkar panel, but supply has not kept pace with requirement.
Way ahead:
- The dedicated safety funds to rail track renewal and safety should be governed by a transparent framework with public reporting requirements.
- Travel demand has continued to leap as economic growth both needs and encourages greater mobility.
- Raising the performance of the Indian Railways needs a clear vision for both service and financing, with zero tolerance for accidents.
- Along with technologies such as ultrasonic flaw detection to keep tracks safe, the Railways must look at ways to carry more passengers safely.
Category: Prelims and Mains | GS – III | Infrastructure
Source: The Hindu
