Rail accident: A perennial killing incident

Kalinga Utkal Express rammed into a DMU train and derailed near Muzaffarnagar of Uttar Pradesh in which 23 innocent passengers were killed. Relief and rescue operation put into service immediately. It has been the practice of successive govt. in India that after every rail accident, some rail officials are punished with suspension, sending on leave and dismissal from service and announcement of ex-gratia amount for the kith and kin of the deceased passengers is made also. This govt. also, follows its predecessor in letter and spirit. The news about the accident is followed up even by the newspapers for 3 to 4 days and after that everything is forgotten. By the time another rail accident takes place, no safety measures are considered. The security of the lives of the rail passengers must be taken seriously. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu visits the accident site and makes an announcement of ex- gratia amount and instruct the officials to do this and that. And it is nothing more than that. No improvement in the service of the rail in Modi govt. is perceptible; rather it has gone down very sharply. The security of the rail passengers must be taken seriously and a concerted effort must be made to improve the situation. Now, it is three years since the Modi govt. took charge of power. But the result is no better than the previous UPA govt. period. It is not only during the BJP’s rule at the Centre that rail accident has occurred. It has occurred at frequent intervals since India got Independence. The cause of derailment of Kalinga Utkal Express has been attributed to the negligence of the railway officials. Some high-ranking railway officials have already faced the music. The need of the hour is to plug the loopholes wherever they are in the railway ministry. Railway is the largest organization with the largest number of govt. employees, so it must not be left at the mercy of the God to run safely and smoothly. This time the rail accident has taken place due to the negligence of the railway staff and at another time it takes place unmanned crossings. The suspension of railway officials has been made only to show that govt. is acting. There are a large number of unmanned railway crossings, which had become the cause of heavy casualties in railway accidents in the past. No month of the year passes without any rail accident. The time and political scenario in the country are much more different from what existed when Lal Bahadur was the railway minister in Govt. India when over a very small rail accident, he resigned taking its moral responsibility. If he is to be emulated, there will be the resignation of railway minister every month of the year as accident occurs every month and innocent passengers are killed. Neither safety measures nor timely running of the train is seen in the Narendra Modi govt. in the last years. All his claims of improving rail service in every way have fallen headlong. Suresh Prabhu is unable to control the erring railway officials. He has failed to lead the ministry from the front. The largest number of people in the country travel by train. Train is the biggest public career in India. In the given scenario, if the security measures are given a go by, the lives of the people are deliberately put at risk by the railway ministry. Until and unless, the first priority is given to the safety of passengers by the railway ministry, the accident will continue to take place. The railway is required to be dealt with meticulously. The chalta hai approach must go. It also needs to be overhauled immediately. The life of the innocent people is taken away for no fault of their own. Whoever is responsible for the accident of the train must be awarded deterrent punishment. The announcement of ex-gratia amount after every rail accident for the kith and kin of deceased passengers cannot bring them back to life. It is regrettable that govt. does not learn any lesson from the accident to take preventive measures so that it could not occur again.