This refers to the editorial, “learning from tragedy” (November 22). The Indore-Patna Express accident is undoubtedly one of the worst train accidents in recent times. The increasing number of train accidents is alarming and is also a symptom of the rot within. It is a fact that railway traffic has grown disproportionate to railway infrastructure, particularly railroads and routes. There are serious flaws in the scheduling of trains on some routes. So much so that the railway system would not be able to handle the traffic on certain routes if all trains were to run as per schedule.
On the one hand, safety measures are out of place. On the other, safety awareness is abysmally low among people. While chanting the developmentmantra, Indian Railways should take care not to compromise on safety. Sufficient funds should be allocated for passengers’ safety. let us end the blame-game and focus on safety measures. Indian Railways needs to launch a ‘zero accident mission' in a definite time-frame.