New Delhi: Expressing concern over loss of lives due to train accidents, a parliamentary panel has recommended setting up a separate safety fund by the Railways and appointing a Member (Safety), who is solely entrusted with ensuring security of rail passengers.
Standing Committee on Railways in its latest report tabled in Parliament has recommended to review the current structure of Railway Board as well as zonal and divisional levels.
The committee headed by TMC MP Sudip Bandopadhaya has suggested that the safety infrastructure of Railways be recast to the extent that it includes at least a separate or a full-fledged department, solely entrusted with providing safety and security across its area of jurisdiction.
It said 107 rail accidents were reported during 2015-16 due to collision, derailment, fire in trains and mishaps at level crossings, thus "highlighting the need to look at the lapses of rail infrastructure."
The committee recommended that the Railways need to gear up and overcome the challenges before them to attain higher level of safety by addressing the basic reasons of accidents.
"This will help in synchronising micro-level safety measures into holistic and macro-level safe rail operations," it said.
Taking note of 'under-investment' in rail sector, the committee said it has resulted in severe congestion on over saturated routes, affecting the speed of trains and causing accidents.
The panel expressed displeasure over the existing safety paraphernalia in Railways in the backdrop of inter-department differences or intra-department prioritisation on safety issues.
The committee was of the view that safety being a non-negotiable subject should be dealt with in a "prompt, precise and diligent manner" and preferably by a separate department, as "inter-disciplinary methods of dealing with the aspect at micro level only serves to reduce its efficiency, resulting in delayed response and compromises on security of passengers."
