Date:23/12/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/12/23/stories/2004122304711200.htm

National

Panel recommends eight-hour roster for rail running staff

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, DEC. 22. The Standing Committee on Railways has blamed "human failure" as the single major factor for train accidents and recommended that the 10-hour daily roster system should be reviewed and running staff not put on duty for more than eight hours.

At times, operational staff, especially gangmen and drivers, have to work for 22 to 24 hours at a stretch, said Basudeb Acharia, chairman of the Committee on Railways, while briefing media persons after presenting the panel's report to Parliament today.

The committee said it should be ensured that the running staff was not put on duty for more than eight hours as continuous concentration was required by drivers and even a slight deviation, stress or fatigue could lead to a major disaster.

It also suggested several measures, including modernisation of the signalling system and replacement of the over-aged rolling stocks. It recommended that competent instructors, who had good educational background and good acumen for training, should be employed with proper pay packages. The trainer too should be exposed to higher level of training from time to time besides the Government making efforts in all areas of its operations to achieve zero accident rates.

The panel also said that over 20,000 vacancies in the "Group D" safety category and 3,500 in the RPF should be filled. Also, vacancies for staff for additional work after introduction of new trains should be filled within a time-bound period not exceeding six months.

Noting that the process of modernisation and renewal of track and their maintenance lacked direction, the panel recommended that before introducing more trains and enhancing their frequency, a survey of routes and the capacity of the infrastructure should be conducted.

The panel felt that the system was over-stretched and recommended that the railway network should be expanded along with an upgradation of technological installations.

When asked whether the panel discussed the Godhra train tragedy, Mr. Acharia said: "We did not discuss any specific case. A Committee has been set up in this regard and when its report is available, we will come to know whether inflammable articles were thrown from outside or were carried inside the train."