Editorial: Balasore aftermath

Putting in place fool-proof systems to prevent the recurrence of such ghastly mishaps and fixing systemic shortcomings are main challenges

The arrest of three railway employees by the CBI, in connection with technical lapses that led to one of India’s worst rail disasters in Odisha’s Balasore district on June 2, sets a precedent for swift punitive action and puts an end to a flurry of conspiracy theories. However, the bigger challenge now is to put in place fool-proof systems to prevent the recurrence of such ghastly mishaps and to fix the systemic shortcomings. A senior Section Engineer in charge of the signalling wing, a Section Engineer and a technician have been detained under the charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, destruction of evidence and giving false information to protect the guilty. A high-level railway inquiry had found wrong signalling and lapses at multiple levels to be the main reasons for the accident. It also indicated that the tragedy could have been averted if red flags in the past were not ignored, and corrective measures taken. The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), in a report submitted to the CBI, pointed out that one of the main reasons for the three-train crash was the wrong labelling of wires inside the level-crossing location box, which led to a mix-up during maintenance work. The report has put the primary responsibility for the mishap on the signalling department. However, it also said the station master failed to detect the “abnormal behaviour” of the signalling control system. The CRS report said the location box, where wires related to signalling are connected, contained wrong lettering and thus showed wrong functions.

The CRS has recommended a 14-point action plan for the upgradation of safety parameters to prevent such tragedies. The key aspects are to strengthen the signalling and technological infrastructure of the entire network and more rigorous checks when repair and overhauling work is undertaken. The issuance of a competency certificate to trained staff is a suggestion that needs to be replicated across all government departments entrusted with ensuring public safety. In 2021-22, almost one-third of the rail accidents arising from equipment failure were attributed to the signalling apparatus. The slow pace of the infrastructure upgrade and the human resource issues, such as staff shortage, demand urgent intervention. The practice of resorting to unauthorised shortcuts to adhere to timings and the tendency to shift the blame from one department to another points to the need for having an independent safety regulator. Safety is paramount and can be ensured only through corrective measures at the operational and planning levels. The heart-wrenching tragedy near Bahanaga Bazar station involving three trains — two passenger trains going in opposite directions, and a stationary goods train — claimed over 300 lives and left more than 800 people injured. The tragedy also raises questions over the slow pace of adoption of anti-collision technology —Kavach — by the Railways.

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