The Hindu : A major tragedy on the rails

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 26, 2003

Opinion

Opinion - Editorials

A major tragedy on the rails

A CONTROVERSY HAS already arisen on whether the tragedy on the Konkan Railway on Sunday night could have been averted. For the six-year-old Konkan Railway Corporation (KRC), it was the first tragedy of this kind. Being a special purpose vehicle to construct the much-touted Konkan line, it was an entirely new entity and a novel experiment in the Indian Railways. The entire railway was considered an engineering marvel, using only long-welded rails. Even if it did not succeed financially, the KRC was trying to spread its wings in an attempt to become a viable corporation. When it was attempting to transform into a multi-modal transport agency, this derailment in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra, claiming at least 51 lives, has come as a major challenge or even a setback. Questions are being asked whether the KRC is fulfilling its basic duties and operations like any other zonal railway. The ghastly tragedy was caused by a boulder that fell on the track following a landslide in the area. Unfortunately, the accident took place at the mouth of a tunnel during a monsoon downpour in an area that was not very easily accessible. All these have not only added to the death toll, but also affected rescue and relief operations. The worst part of the tragedy was the telescoping of coaches and its impact on the passengers. The coaches were so badly mangled in the impact that many of the passengers were crushed to death.

After every tragedy of this nature, the Railway authorities, from the Minister downwards, make prompt announcements and tall claims, which are not always followed. The Railway Minister, Nitish Kumar, recently spoke of a task force to look at relief operations — to ensure that relief reaches the affected passengers as early as possible. But obviously, the Ratnagiri area and this particular accident spot could not be easily accessed. Even communication became a problem as the optic fibre cable was damaged. The impact of the derailment was such. It was one of the holiday specials operated for the season and once the engine hit the boulder, four coaches went off the track. And this section normally receives the highest rainfall in the region. Any inquiry into the tragedy must take into consideration all these factors so that a broad framework for these tracts can be evolved. After all, there are ghat sections in the Railways, with tunnels and exposed to heavy rain.

There have been reports about the absence of, or at least reduction in, monsoon patrolling on this railway. These are mostly `internal' matters, which the zonal railway must take care of. It must satisfy itself about the preventive and maintenance measures that are being taken to ensure safety on the rails. Perhaps because the KRC is an autonomous entity, counterparts in the railway system may point an accusing finger at the possible lapses. But as far as passengers and the public are concerned, the situation appears no different in any part of the country. The saturation on some sections of the railway network seems to be coming in the way of thorough maintenance checks — for instance the ultrasonic flaw detection system for the rails and periodic replacement of worn-out rails to prevent disasters. The entire railway administration now holds the Rs. 17,000-crore safety fund and programme as a panacea for all these ills. But they must realise that besides clearing the huge backlog in track renewal and repairs, they must also take into account the current accruals. It calls for not just a huge outlay, but also a proper prioritisation of the areas which need immediate attention, such as bridges, bends and the high-density routes. After his first White Paper on the status of railway finances and then a detailed break-up of the pending projects, Mr. Kumar must now think of coming out with an annual report on safety and the utilisation of the special safety fund.

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