Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on Wednesday directed all zones to launch a fortnight-long safety drive across the country to prevent incidents of train derailments. After reviewing the safety measures with the Railway Board, Prabhu asked all Zonal Railways and Divisions to gear up their machinery to carry out this drive effectively. Senior officers including Divisional Railway Managers have been asked to be actively associated with the safety drive.
“Safety drive will be constantly monitored in the railway board by the safety directorate. Suitable follow up action will be taken on all deficiencies and irregularities noticed during the drive. The fortnight long safety drive beginning from September 1 will lay emphasis on maintenance of track, prevention of rail fractures and weld failures,” said a railway official.
According to the directive, there should be zero missing fittings particularly at locations like approaches to bridges, curves, cuttings and high banks. The inspection of fraction prone location and vulnerable sections and strict compliance with the norms laid down for maintenance of all the running lines including loop lines in station limit.
Twelve coaches of Thiruvananthapuram-Mangalore Express were derailed in the wee hours on Sunday near Karukutty station, around 45 km from Kochi. Though no one was injured in the incident, there were many such derailments in the recent past causing disruption in train service and posing serious question over safety parameters in train operation.
Derailment of trains is one of the major causes of railway accidents constituting on an average 50 per cent of the total railway accidents.