Odisha train accident: New twist in case as death toll nears 290; 2022 report shows ‘serious concern’ for safety

The tragic Odisha train accident, when the passenger train Coromandel Express crashed with a stationery goods train, has already claimed nearly 290 lives, leaving over 500 people injured till now, with rescue operations still advancing.

Just as the authorities are conducting probes to determine the real cause behind the tragic train crash claiming hundreds of lives, a new twist has emerged in the case as an audit report submitted last year shows “serious concern” about rail safety.

It has been revealed recently that a 2022 audit report, which was submitted in the Parliament last year, had flagged off several serious lapses in rail safety for the Union Railway Ministry. This new report is now raising a question as to whether any action was taken to improve rail safety in the country.

In a report submitted in 2022 called ‘Derailment in Indian Railways’, the engineering department of the Railway Ministry has been held responsible for the majority of the derailment accidents across the country. This report has also been quoted by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge while raising a question on the Centre for the Odisha train accident.

6 CAG के अनुसार राष्ट्रीय रेल संरक्षा कोष (RRSK) में 79% फंडिंग काम क्यों की गई, जबकि हर साल ₹20,000 Cr उपलब्ध करवाने थे।

Track renewal works की राशि में भारी गिरावट क्यों आई ? pic.twitter.com/VmtKUClve5

— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) June 4, 2023

Kharge wrote on Twitter, “According to the latest CAG audit report, almost 7 out of 10 train accidents between 2017-18 and 2020-21 were due to train derailment. In 2017-21, there was zero testing of Rail and Weld (Track Maintenance) for safety in the East Coast Railway. Why was this sidelined?”

Meanwhile, Opposition parties also slammed the Modi government for only installing the Kavach train safety system on 2 percent of all the trains in the country. It is being said that the Kavach system could have potentially prevented this train crash if it was installed in the three trains.

The Odisha train crash occurred when the Coromandel Express crashed into a stationary goods train, leaving several compartments derailed. Another passenger train then crashed into these derailed compartments, causing the carriages to get capsized.

READ | Odisha train accident: Anti-train collision system ‘Kavach’ was not available on the route