In a first, the Railways will deploy drones or unmanned aerial vehicles to capture visuals of accident sites to preserve evidence for inquiry. The move is part of a series of initiatives suggested by Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabu for the safety of train operations.
A note drafted by the Ministry of Railways in December last says that the basic purpose of an accident inquiry is to pinpoint the cause of failure — be it material, technological, staff or others. Unfortunately, rescue and restoration work, which essentially involves railway officials, tend to compromise if not destroy evidence.
The inquiry officer who reaches the site much later does not have the benefit of proper information and evidence. Consequently, the whole exercise tends to become ‘avoid-the-blame’ game and most of the time the real cause of accident does not get flagged, the note said.
The Railways reported 237 accidents in the last two years which claimed the lives of 158 people and left 450 injured. A majority of the accidents were derailments and mishaps at level crossings. Of the 106 train accidents in 2015-16, 92% were due to human error, of which 54% was due to failure of railway staff.
In Tamil Nadu, the Madras Institute of Technology (MIT) pioneers in the making of customised drones for various safety and security operations.
In a recent development, the MIT made the Tether Copter aerial surveillance system that was deployed during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Coimbatore.
The institute is also working with the Ministry of Defence and Border Security Force for manufacturing customised drones.
Acting on the instructions of Mr. Suresh Prabu, the Railway Board directed all zones to carry out inspections focussed on safety along vulnerable stretches prone to accidents.
Emphasising mapping of fracture/derailment prone sections for enhanced vigil, it said track patrolling staff should be equipped with better facilities, though the goal should be complete mechanisation of track maintenance by 2019.
Monitoring system
The Railway Board also observed that track, signal and rolling stock defects noticed by crew (engine driver or loco pilot and guard of trains) and reported to officials concerned were “not getting due attention”.
