Tweet
GM’s asked to expedite ongoing train accidents inquiries: Railways
Indian Railways has asked all its General Managers to see that ongoing inquiries into different cases of train accidents were completed on time and report submitted before the deadline.
Facing criticism for lapses in security and safety set up on the vast railway network, the ministry has also suggested its officials to ensure that all necessary follow-up actions like fresh safety instructions, remedial measures and punishment to erring railway staff should also be completed expeditiously in a fixed time frame.
“You should look into the recommendations of accidents-inquiries and safety audits conducted by other zonal railway officials. Remedial measures adopted should be more technology driven and less dependent on human intervention,” Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi told top railway official in a special meeting on safety here last week. The conference was attended by General Mangers of all the Zonal Railways and the entire Railway Board members.
Ministry officials noted that there has been marked improvement in number of accidents per million train kilometers, but Trivedi asked for more efforts to ensure zero tolerance on the safety front.
Every consequential train accident is inquired into either by the Commission of Railway Safety under the Ministry of Civil Aviation or by a Departmental Enquiry Committee under Zonal Railways, depending upon the severity of the accident.
Out of 329 consequential train accidents in the year 2008-09 to 2010-11 and the current year (up to July, 2011), 49 have been inquired into by the Commission of Railway Safety and balance 280 have been inquired into by the Departmental Enquiry Committees.
Major and minor penalties have so far been imposed on 200 and 273 erring officials during the same period. Out of these, 80 Railway officials have been removed or dismissed from Railway service.
According to a railway report, the number of accidents has come down from 351 in 2002-03 to 165 in 2009-10. The Index of number of accidents per million train kms has come down from 0.44 in year 2002-03 to 0.18 in 2009-10. Official said during the 10th Plan 1,776 and 11th Plan 568 (up to March 2011) major and minor penalties have been imposed against officials responsible for accident.
While the non-Plan expenditure on safety related activities was Rs 23,140 crore in 2009-10 and Rs 22,375 cr in 2010-11, the Plan expenditure has increased from Rs 7,516 cr in 2009-10 to Rs 8,327 cr in 2010-11.
Also during the last three years, 2,562 over aged Broad Gauge coaches and 7,911 Broad Gauge wagons were phased out and 8,195 new coaches and 37,417 new wagons were inducted by the Indian Railways as a part to strengthen safety measures. During this period, 587 over aged EMU coaches have been condemned and replaced with new coaches.
Indian Railways has asked all its General Managers to see that ongoing inquiries into different cases of train accidents were completed on time and report submitted before the deadline.
Facing criticism for lapses in security and safety set up on the vast railway network, the ministry has also suggested its officials to ensure that all necessary follow-up actions like fresh safety instructions, remedial measures and punishment to erring railway staff should also be completed expeditiously in a fixed time frame.
“You should look into the recommendations of accidents-inquiries and safety audits conducted by other zonal railway officials. Remedial measures adopted should be more technology driven and less dependent on human intervention,” Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi told top railway official in a special meeting on safety here last week. The conference was attended by General Mangers of all the Zonal Railways and the entire Railway Board members.
Ministry officials noted that there has been marked improvement in number of accidents per million train kilometers, but Trivedi asked for more efforts to ensure zero tolerance on the safety front.
Every consequential train accident is inquired into either by the Commission of Railway Safety under the Ministry of Civil Aviation or by a Departmental Enquiry Committee under Zonal Railways, depending upon the severity of the accident.
Out of 329 consequential train accidents in the year 2008-09 to 2010-11 and the current year (up to July, 2011), 49 have been inquired into by the Commission of Railway Safety and balance 280 have been inquired into by the Departmental Enquiry Committees.
Major and minor penalties have so far been imposed on 200 and 273 erring officials during the same period. Out of these, 80 Railway officials have been removed or dismissed from Railway service.
According to a railway report, the number of accidents has come down from 351 in 2002-03 to 165 in 2009-10. The Index of number of accidents per million train kms has come down from 0.44 in year 2002-03 to 0.18 in 2009-10. Official said during the 10th Plan 1,776 and 11th Plan 568 (up to March 2011) major and minor penalties have been imposed against officials responsible for accident.
While the non-Plan expenditure on safety related activities was Rs 23,140 crore in 2009-10 and Rs 22,375 cr in 2010-11, the Plan expenditure has increased from Rs 7,516 cr in 2009-10 to Rs 8,327 cr in 2010-11.
Also during the last three years, 2,562 over aged Broad Gauge coaches and 7,911 Broad Gauge wagons were phased out and 8,195 new coaches and 37,417 new wagons were inducted by the Indian Railways as a part to strengthen safety measures. During this period, 587 over aged EMU coaches have been condemned and replaced with new coaches.
