New Delhi: Experts pointed to the report prepared by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on railway accidents in the wake of the tragedy in which 275 people died after three trains collided in Odisha’s Balasore. According to the report, the CAG had given a report in September last year detailing the deficiencies in rail safety.
The CAG report is being discussed after Central Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said on Sunday morning that the cause of the accident has been found and the report will be released soon. Ashwini Vaishnav had said that the change in electronic interlocking led to the accident in Odisha. Besides, the Railway Board had also shared its conclusions about the circumstances leading to the accident.
The CAG had conducted a study on the measures taken by the Railways to avoid train derailments and collisions in the country and clearly mentioned the shortcomings in the report. The geometrical and structural conditions of the railway tracks were checked using Track Recording Cars, and it was found that there were 30-100 percent defects in the report.
According to the report, 422 trains were derailed in the country between April 2017 and March 2012 due to an error on the part of the engineering department. According to the CAG report, non-timely maintenance of tracks, track changes beyond permissible limits and bad driving/excessive speed all lead to derailment incidents. 275 train accidents occurred due to the negligence of the operating department. Misalignment of points and errors in shunting operations account for 84 percent of accidents.
According to the report, there has been a shortfall in utilization of money from the Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh earmarked for works to ensure the safety arrangements of the railways. Rashtriya Rail Samraksha Kosh was launched in the financial year 2017-18. A sum of Rs 1 lakh crore will be provided for the rehabilitation of railways over a period of five years.
According to the report, there has been a reduction in the funds allocated for track renovation and this fund has not been fully utilised. The report also points out that 26 per cent of the 1,127 derailments during 2017-21 were due to negligence in track renovation.
The CAG report contains recommendations for maintaining the schedule of trains, proper investigation of accidents and timely implementation of repair works. The report also suggests that a system should be put in place to monitor the activities of the railways at all levels. It is not clear whether the CAG report was properly scrutinized or considered by the authorities.
2023-06-04 12:29:00
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