Prime Minister Modi on Friday interacted with Railway Minister Ashwani Vaishnaw and the entire Railway Board addressing his concerns over train security and safety measures in the light of the Balasore train tragedy on June 2 that took lives of nearly 300 people and left many more wounded.
He sought the safety protocol and road map for to ensure there is no repeat of a similar tragedy in future.
While the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Commissioner Rail Safety are conducting their independent probes into the triple tragedy, the Prime Minister and the Railway Minister unequivocally stated that those responsible for the accident will not be spared.
Safety is paramount
A senior railway official revealed that several infrastructure projects are currently underway with the stringent targets. He said it is essential to sensitize those in the field on the importance of maintaining the integrity of the signaling system for the sake of safety.
The Railway Board officials also prepared an update for the PM to fill vacancies across the railway sector. The opposition parties had raised a hue and cry on the number of the vacant posts.
Safety precautions will be taken to avoid similar mishaps
They also told the PM that instructions have gone out to all general managers to ensure that the protocols around the signaling system are tamper-proof as discussed by the first high level meeting after the mishap. They have asked the officials to make the railway network completely tamper-proof against external elements.
The Board also faulted the operating signaling staff who continue to adopt shortcuts for clearing signals without checking the correspondence from the sites or properly exchanging disconnection or reconnection.
