Sir — This refers to the editorial, “learning from tragedy” (November 22). The Union Government may be keen to introduce bullet trains in the country, but they are no substitute for modernisation of the existing tracks.
That said, even though the costs of living and medical treatment have shot up manifold in the last two decades, the ex-gratia amount given to the kin of those killed in rail accidents, has not changed much. An ex-gratia of four lakh rupees was fixed way back in 1997, and it continues to be the same today. This is in sharp contrast to the previous practice of upward revision of the amount every 10 years.