Dinesh Kamath's Editorial '‘Safety’ issue should be given topmost priority' that was published in Newsband

‘Safety’ issue should be given topmost priority

Indian railway network caters to about seven billion passenger. Hence it is necessary to ensure that all journeys end safely. India’s strained railway system can be unpredictably risky. The distress of the families of passengers who died and those left injured can never be fully compensated.

The Railway Ministry has recorded an average of 50 derailments a year over the past four years and a peak of 63. This fact discloses the actual condition of world's 4th largest railway system. The integrity of the tracks, signalling, engines and coaches need to be rigorously audited. Human error is found to be responsible for 70 per cent of serious rail accidents. Hence the railway authorities should give importance to training and make their employees adhere to strict operational discipline.

After an accident it is the quality of medical facilities that determines a victim’s chances of survival. Many rural areas have no hospital facilities. Upgrading district hospitals should be a priority.

Instead of introducing Suvidha trains and charging more than airfare, Indian railways should take steps to improve safety. Never before in the history, the Railways made so much money by means of higher cancellation fee and reservation fee.

Nothing is more unfortunate than a horrible accident for our administration. Every year our rail minister approves many new rules for the best condition of railway. But, they pay little attention to safety issue.

At one hand we are envisioning introduction of bullet trains and on the other hand railway cannot assure even a safe journey. Strict actions should be taken against the defaulters, on whose shoulders lay the responsibilities of the mishaps.

Moreover the "true findings: not the fabricated" by the committee formed for the investigation reason of accident should be made public and we should learn from the mistake, commit not to repeat in future. Besides learning from the mistakes, the suggestion made by committee should be implemented positively.

Hope Indian railways will succeed in making commuting totally safe.