Over 20 passengers were killed and 22 injured -- most of them women and children -- when the Goa Express rammed into a stationary Mewar express near Mathura early on Wednesday morning. The engine of the Goa express hit the rear of the Mewar express, causing severe damage to the last coach and derailing several others. Preliminary reports point to human failure, though the last word on the signalling system has not been said yet. In such cases of collision between two trains, there can be two possible causes -- either signal failure or human failure by way of ignoring the signal. The inquiry by the Commissioner of Railway Safety will fix the responsibility, but what assumes importance is the follow-up action. Accidents such as this are not uncommon in the massive Railway network in the country. Every one of them has been followed by an inquiry and every such exercise has yielded a host of suggestions on measures to be adopted for averting the mishaps. While mechanical or electrical failure can be dealt with, the railway authorities have not yet been able to come to terms with human failure.
When the crew of a train see a red signal, they are supposed to stop for two minutes if it is night, and one minute during day time, and then proceed with caution. They are provided with walkie-talkie sets to get in touch with the nearest railway station, ascertain the situation, and act as it warrants. Given this, it is surprising that such a communication had not taken place in the high-density Mathura-Delhi route. Did the communication equipment fail, or were the crew oblivious to these basic safety requirements? It is up to the Commissioner of Railway Safety and the Railway Board to get to the bottom of what went wrong and where, and fix responsibility. The Konkan Railway designed an anti-collision device, which has reportedly gone through trials and been fitted on trains operating in certain high-risk sectors. There was supposed to be a time-bound programme for fitting these devices on all trains. Millions of people who travel by trains will look to Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee for ensuring that safety concerns are addressed with a sense of urgency. The Railways must wrap up the investigation quickly and come out with the whole truth. A systematic programme of retraining and re-orientation of the railway staff is imperative to keep them alert and safety-conscious.
Keywords: railway accident, 20 killed, 22 injured, safety-conscious, human failure, Mewar express near Mathura, Goa express, Railway Safety and the Railway Board
The devastating incident that took place is not uncommon,even after the frequent repetition of these accidents the Government has not been able to do anything effective for that.Whatever may be the reason the loss is unbearable and it is the citizen that pays every time. Strict steps to curb the problem are essentially required.
Mamata Banerjee complained against Lalu Yadav for giving no attention to safety measures, to conceal his success in financial issues. I do not mean to criticise her or any other railway official. What happened is really irreparable. An issue like this should not be confined to just formal committees or official inquiries. It should be taken seriously. Because a common man's most friendly transporter is the railway. And in a highly populated country like India people rely on railways more than any other mode of transport. When taking care of budget,a minimum attention should be given to safety.
Inquiry, compensation to the victims, submission of inquiry report etc have become so routine whenever a major railway mishap occurs. Irrespective of technical or human failure that resulted in the accident, the dead cannot be brought to life. There is no excuse for human failure as the loss caused to families of the victims is irreparable. Suspension from service for dereliction of duty would serve no purpose as they 'manage' reinstatement with the help of politicians or departmental superiors. Summary removal from service would inculcate discipline among the staff.
With technological advances, why does Railway invest in anti-collision or close proximity systems. We have advanced systems like GPS which can monitor speed and distance. If railway tracks are mapped specifically, each train tagged and fitted with a GPS tracker installed in the engine and last coach, it will easier for control towers to clearly monitor the train movements. Software can be further enhanced on alarm, speed checks, proximity sensing actions for trains. So many lives and destruction can easily justify the cost of such investment and make the trains more safer, run it efficiently.
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