NEW DELHI: Forty Two-year ago, on June 6, 1981, a passenger train carrying more than 800 passengers between Mansi and Saharsa in north Bihar (Dhamara Pul) derailed and plunged into the river Bagmati while it was crossing a bridge. It was the deadliest train accident that took place so far. It was followed by the Firozabad train accident (358 killed), the Odisha train collision (295+ killed), the Gaisal train disaster (285 killed), Khanna train accident (212 killed), Rafiganj train wreck (200 killed), 1964 Rameshwaram cyclone causing Pamban bridge accident (150+ killed) and the Jnaneswari Express train derailment (148 killed). Railway statistics suggest that since 1950, more than 260 train accidents have taken place in India. Ironically, barring two Railway Ministers – Lal Bahadur Shastri and Madhavrao Scindia – none of the ministers (39 Railway Ministers since 1947) tendered resignation after the accidents (if took place during his tenure). The present incumbent Ashwini Vaishnaw is one of them.
Asserting that the then Union Railway Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri tendered his resignation when an accident took place, Nationalist Congress Party Chief Sharad Pawar has demanded Ashwini Vaishnaw’s resignation after a tragic accident in Odisha that occurred on Friday. In July 1988 more than 100 people died when a train fell into a river near Quilon, Kerala – Scindia resigned as railways minister but stayed on on Rajiv Gandhi’s insistence.
“There is an example when Lal Bahadur Shastri and Madhavrao Scindia had resigned after a train accident (in 1956) but we can’t expect such a step from the (incumbent Railway) minister in the Modi cabinet. If a bit of shame is left, the minister (Vaishnaw) should resign.”
A PIL has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Centre for setting up an inquiry commission headed by a retired apex court judge to probe the cause of the train accident in Odisha’s Balasore district that has left 288 people dead.
The plea filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari also sought directions to the Centre to immediately set up an expert commission headed by retired judge of the apex court and consisting of technical members to analyse and review the risk and safety parameters in the railway system and to suggest systematic safety modifications for strengthening Railway safety mechanism and submit its report to the court.
The plea submitted that non-implementation of Kavach system at the earliest has resulted in a massive loss of life and damage of public property which imputes direct liability of gross negligence and breach of duty of care by respondent authorities. The enquiry commission headed by a retired apex court judge should conclude its probe in two months and try to examine the root cause of the accident and submit its report before the top court, the plea said.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi visited Odisha and reviewed the rescue and relief efforts underway after the tragic train accident in Balasore. Prime Minister visited the railway accident site and the hospital where the injured are undertaking treatment.
Prime Minister said that people from various states who were travelling in the trains have been impacted by this monumental tragedy. While talking about the tragic loss of lives, Prime Minister said that no stone will be left unturned to provide all possible medical help to those injured. He said that the government stands with the bereaved family members who have lost their loved ones.
The Prime Minister said that instructions have been given to ensure proper and speedy investigation of the tragedy, and to take prompt and stringent action against those found guilty. He commended the efforts of the Odisha government, local administration and of the local people, especially youth, who worked through the night to assist ongoing efforts. He also lauded the local citizens who turned up in large numbers for blood donation, to help those injured. He said that Railways is working to provide rescue and relief, as well as to ensure quick restoration of rail tracks. Interacting with the local authorities, personnel from the disaster relief forces and railways officials, the Prime Minister emphasised the ‘whole of government’ approach to mitigate the tragedy.
Indian Railways, on the other hand, has made special arrangements at helpline number 139 to facilitate family/friends/relatives of deceased persons and passengers stranded in the tragic Train accident in Odisha. A team of senior officers is manning the helpline 24X7 and will provide all the relevant details to the callers after coordinating with the Zonal Railways and State Government. This service will continue uninterrupted and will ensure prompt disbursal of enhanced ex-gratia announced by Minister of Railways: Rs.10 Lakh in case of death; Rs 2 Lakh towards grievous injuries and Rs.50,000 for minor injuries.
The aim of the Railway Helpline 139 is to provide a helping hand and to give correct and satisfactory information to the aggrieved passengers and their kins in this trying time. So far, Railways have disbursed Rs. 3.22 Crores as ex-gratia in 285 cases (11 Death cases, 50 Grievous injuries cases, 224 simple injury cases). Indian Railways is paying ex-gratia amount at 7 locations (Soro, Kharagpur, Balasore, Khantapara, Bhadrak, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar).
Ironically, the railway Minister claimed that the root cause of the three-train crash in Odisha’s Balasore district and the people responsible for it have been identified and said as rescue work at the site of the accident ended with the Railways aiming to restore normal services on the affected tracks in the next few days.
As the tragedy triggered a debate over the Kavach anti-collision system, the Congress demanded the resignation of the railway minister and asked when will the Modi government implement the much-hyped system nationwide, after testing. Vaishnaw maintained that the train crash had nothing to do with the Kavach system.
The Congress on Sunday demanded the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw over the Odisha rail tragedy, alleging that his “PR gimmicks” overshadowed the “serious deficiencies, criminal negligence and complete disregard for safety and security” of Indian Railways.
The Opposition party also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should accept part of the responsibility of the “mess” which his government has inflicted on the Indian Railways and the people. The Odisha rail tragedy was a “man-made devastation” caused by “utter negligence, serious lapses in the system, incompetence, and a narcissistic sense of know-it-all attitude of the Modi government”.
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Sunday attacked the government over the railway tragedy, and said one minister cannot deal with large ministries such as Railways as well as Communications, Electronics and Information Technology, as was being done by Ashwini Vaishnaw. The accident involving two passenger trains and a goods train in Odisha’s Balasore district killed at least 288 people and injured more than 1100, in one of the worst railway tragedies in the country.In a tweet, Sibal said, “Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for IT and Electronics, Minister for Railways. No Railway Budget. No Accountability. One minister cannot deal with such large ministries. Bullet Trains. Vande Bharat. Serve the extraordinary, let down the ordinary! Recipe for disaster !” “Tragedies –Total derailments; 257(2017-18); 526 (2018-19) ; 399 (2019-20)…Reasons (CAG): 1)Maintenance of track (167); 2)Deviation of track parameters(149); 3)Bad driving(144). For the Rs.1 lakh cr. allocated 2017-22) for safety, Railways failed to deposit even Rs. 5000 cr each year!” he claimed in another tweet.
