Twin tragedy

The derailment of the Howrah-Delhi Kalka Mail near Malwan in Uttar Pradesh and the blast on the track near Rangiya in Assam leading to the derailment of eight coaches of the Puri Express have once again turned the spotlight on railway safety. It is unfortunate that despite a spate of accidents, the railways have done precious little to ensure passenger safety. Unmanned level-crossings, a laid-back attitude in modernising signal and track systems, failure to fill up safety related jobs and a lack of interest in the Railway Ministry have all contributed in a large measure to the problem.

N.J. Ravi Chander,

Bangalore

With two train accidents on a single day, the inefficiency of the Indian railways, the blame games, relief packages bartered for lives and, above all, the apathy of the government are all back to haunt us again. It is a matter of great shame that while our neighbour has taken its railways to envious levels, we are yet to take even baby steps, and are struck at pre-colonial levels of efficiency in a horrifyingly over-used railways.

There was once a Railway Minister who resigned taking full responsibility for one such accident. The times have so changed that the lives lost have become pawns for political mileage.

Varun Koundinya,

Hyderabad

Visuals of the coaches of the Howrah-Kalka Mail in disarray were immensely disturbing. The Railways are the nation's arteries. A series of such unfortunate incidents in quick succession is bound to dent passenger confidence. No amount of compensation can make up for fear and a loss of lives. We need a strong monitoring system.

J.S. Nivedita,

Visakhapatnam