Congress has raised issues regarding five cases highlighted in a letter by a Railway Board member and questioned whether the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will investigate them as well. Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary, has highlighted the letter of R.N. Sundae, Member Infrastructure of the Railway Board, written to General Managers on April 3, 2021. In the letter, Sundar has pointed out five incidences on the unsafe side involving points that have taken place on various Zonal Railways and has dubbed them alarming and an issue of serious concern. Congress has asked if the CBI will investigate the letter and the follow-up actions that were taken to address the issues raised.
Sundar mentioned in his letter that despite repeated instructions from the Railway Board, ground situation is not improving. The signalling staff continued to adopt short-cut methods without following protocol, which poses a risk to train operations and affect safety. The letter mentioned five incidents involving several trains from January to March this year. These incidents reinforce the need for safety measures that ensure the integrity of the signalling system, especially given ongoing infrastructure works.
The Congress and other opposition parties have criticized the government for its handling of the Balasore train accident, which claimed 288 lives and injured more than a thousand people. The opposition has demanded the resignation of the railway minister. In response, the railway minister transferred the probe of Balasore train accident to the CBI and attributed it to a change in electronic interlocking.
In conclusion, Congress has raised questions regarding five more cases about the integrity of the railway system. Political parties have criticized the government’s handling of train accidents, with demands for the resignation of the railway minister. The government has responded by transferring the probe of the Balasore train accident to the CBI.
