Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting with Railway Minister Ashwani Vaishnaw and the entire Rail Board on Friday to address the concerns regarding safety and security measures in the wake of the Balasore train tragedy, which claimed the lives of around 300 people and left many seriously injured.
The Prime Minister intends to be informed about the safety protocols in place and the Railway’s road map for preventing such mishaps in the future.
While the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Commissioner Rail Safety are conducting their independent investigations into the triple train tragedy, Modi, during his visit to the accident site in Odisha earlier this month, had unequivocally stated that those responsible for the incident would not be spared.
“Strictest action will be taken against those found guilty in the train accident incident. No one will be spared,” the PM had declared on June 4.
The crash on June 2 involved the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, two trains carrying approximately 2,500 passengers, and a goods train, resulting in the death of 288 people and over 1,000 injuries.
A senior railway official, without revealing the details of the scheduled PM-Rail meeting, mentioned that several infrastructure projects are currently underway with stringent targets. It is essential to sensitize officers and staff in the field about the importance of maintaining the integrity of the signaling system for the sake of safety. Vaishnaw had suggested signal interference as a possible cause of the tragic crash.
The Ministry’s presentation and briefing to the Prime Minister will include updates on the ongoing investigations and measures taken to fill vacancies across the railway sector. Opposition parties have raised concerns about the number of vacant positions.
Sources have indicated that the status report will also cover instructions given to officials to develop plans for making the railway network completely tamper-proof against external elements. The Railway Board has directed all General Managers to ensure that protocols around signaling systems are tamper-proof, as discussed in the first high-level meeting held by the railway minister after the accident.
Additionally, the Ministry had instructed zonal railways and its subsidiaries to conduct a week-long safety drive with a focus on locking, interlocking, and signaling arrangements, which concluded on June 14.
Railway sources revealed that in April, the signaling staff was reprimanded by the Railway Board for taking shortcuts when reconnecting signaling equipment after maintenance work without proper testing of points. The board’s letter dated April 3 stated that five such incidents had been reported from various railway zones.
“The signaling gears were reconnected by signal and telecom staff without proper testing of points after blocks for switch/turnout replacement, wrong wiring during preparatory works, attending signal failures, etc.,” the letter highlighted. “Such practices reflect a dilution of manual and codal provisions. The same is a potential hazard to safety in train operations and needs to be stopped,” it stated.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the signaling department, the board noted that these incidents indicate a failure to improve the ground situation despite repeated instructions. Signaling staff members continue to adopt shortcut methods for clearing signals without checking correspondence from the sites or properly exchanging disconnection or reconnection memos with the operating staff.