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Row over Delhi Metro's safety

By Vinay Kumar

NEW DELHI DEC. 14. Crucial issues of public safety on the soon-to-be commissioned, high-tech Delhi Metro system have become a bone of contention between the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and the Ministry of Railways.

With the negative results of the second trial run on oscillation, ride behaviour and safety of operation of DMRC coaches, conducted by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), the big question is who now shoulders the responsibility for the safety of the Metro.

If all claims of safety, standards and world-class rolling stocks of the DMRC are accepted, it still remains the statutory obligation of the Central Government to give a safety certificate for the metro system to begin its operations.

As per the allocation of business rules that agency of the Central Government happens to be the Ministry of Railways. The Cabinet notification of September 11, 2002, clearly states that safety and technical planning still vest with the Indian Railways.

The DMRC has said that it was not a statutory requirement to obtain a safety certificate from the RDSO, the Commissioner, Railway Safety (CRS) was competent enough to give a green signal for it to begin operations.

The issue is whether the Chief Commissioner, Railway Safety (CCRS) will go by the claims of the DMRC or by the time-tested procedures of the RDSO? The CCRS himself had, in a communication of June 12, 2002 to the Secretary (Metro), Rail Bhavan, stated that RDSO's role would be the same as the one followed by the Indian Railways under the Railway Act, 1989, Railway Rules, 2000 and policy circular number 6, issued by the Railway Board.

Highly placed sources in the Ministry said Indian Railways would not like to be seen as a body which is throwing a spanner in the works of DMRC and pressing the panic button.

So far as safety and technical clearances for any railway network in the country is concerned, it happens to be the responsibility of the Railways as it is a central subject.

As a mass rapid urban transport system, DMRC is a partnership between the Central Government and the Delhi Government and the Ministry of Urban Development (MOUD), in the know of latest developments regarding safety aspects of the DMRC's rolling stock, is fully within its right to approach the Central Government for changing the allocation and business rules of the Railways and take over the responsibility of giving clearance to the metro network.

The most damaging of all conclusions of RDSO pertains to the high carbon percentage of 0.63 in DMRC wheels, since such wheels have greater possibility of developing cracks.

``The wheels should be changed immediately with wheel sets of lower carbon percentage and only thereafter coaches put to regular service,'' it said.

Sources said that not a single EMU or any other passenger coach of the Railways had wheels with more than 0.52 per cent of carbon content which were in service.

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