Odisha train tragedy: Centre compromised on safety, alleges Congress

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday lashed out at the government, saying that the “sabotage theory” floated after the Balasore train accident was to “escape accountability”. He said that it was pretty clear that the sabotage theory floated by the Prime Minister and Railway Minister is “to escape accountability and manage headlines”.

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“The Commissioner of Rail Safety has conducted its inquiry and said that severe shortcomings in procedures and systems relating to rail safety resulted in the Balasore train disaster,”Ramesh said in a Twitter post, citing a news report on the finding of the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) AM Chowdhary.

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“But who is listening? Inaugurations of Vande Bharat trains continue... a horrific tragedy caused by misplaced priorities of the Modi government,” he said.

Odisha mishap

On June 2, the Chennai-bound Coromandel Express rammed into an iron ore-laden goods train on the loop line near the Bahanaga Bazar station soon after which a third train arrived at the spot and met the same fate. At least 293 people died in this accident.

In the days that followed after the accident, the railways spoke about the possibility of sabotage and possible tampering with the electronic interlocking system, the nerve centre of the Indian Railways’ signalling apparatus.

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In his report submitted to the Railway Board, Commissioner of Railway Safety AM Chowdhary said that wires inside a location box were wrongly labelled and the error remained undetected for years, ultimately leading to a mix-up during the repair work.

The first repair work was carried out in 2018, while the second was done just hours before the accident took place.

Opposition blames government for ‘misplaced priorities’

Congress said on Wednesday that the government continues to inaugurate Vande Bharat trains despite the rail accident.

“In the craze for inaugurating Vande Bharat trains, fixating on bullet trains and tinkering with specialised cadres, the Modi government has thoroughly compromised on basic issues of railway safety that don’t make for photo-ops and headlines,” Ramesh wrote on Twitter.

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Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said it is the Centre’s responsibility to ensure the safety of passengers, reported The New Indian Express.

“We appeal that do not get into this business of hot food and new Vande Bharats,” Shrinate said. “First ensure the safety of those travelling by train. It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that people reach their destinations safely and not just keep flagging off trains.”

(With inputs from agencies)

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