Whether the deadly derailment of the Diva-Sawantwadi Express near Nagothane in Raigad was due to mechanical, technical or human error will be revealed probably by the chief commissioner of safety of the railways. There are initial indications of the driver not seeing the red signal after a fracture on the track was discovered.
The train’s event recorder could also reportedly throw some light. But, till then, the death of nearly 30 people and injuries to several hundred others should be cause for alarm and not forgotten with the mechanical distribution of compensation to the victims and next of kin, however helpful.
This is the second derailment on the same route in less than a month and the fifth accident on the rails in Maharashtra since the start of this year. It is not known whether after the accident in April, where the wagons of a goods train derailed, the authorities did anything about looking into the health of the tracks.
There has been a lot of criticism and many articles about the railways having to implement the populist programmes of the government, especially the running of several new trains every year without concomitant investment in rolling stock and release of adequate funds.
So, as the railway authorities rush desperately to meet ambitious targets while meeting ever-growing traffic, both passenger and freight, maintenance and augmentation of resources like rolling stock become a casualty. According to one report, the Nagothane-to-Roha track caters to some of the heaviest traffic, particularly of freight.
