Panel takes stock of track safety measures

CHENNAI: A high-level Safety Review Committee, constituted by the Ministry of Railways to check the growing number of rail accidents, visited the flash butt welding plant at Arakkonam and ballast manufacturing unit at Tiruvalangadu on Monday.Secretary of the Committee Agarwal and Dr N Vedachalam of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, who is also a part of the committee, left from Chennai to Arakkonam for carrying out a study in this regard. According to sources, the panel members examined the difference between the quality of manual and machine-made ballasts (coarse gravel or crushed rock laid to form a bed for rails), produced at Tiruvalangadu. They are expected to continue their study at Ennore and Gummidipoondi on Tuesday.Based on the accidents and their consequences witnessed in the recent past, the Committee would examine all aspects of signalling systems, rolling stock, tracks, bridges and over head equipment, human resource development with emphasis on training, education and research, need for third party audit, organisational and structural changes in research design and standards organization (RDSO) and other departments, and suggest improvements in procedural system, besides modifications.The committee would lay the roadmap on safety related issues which need to be addressed in short and long terms and would make  recommendations on further improvement in the systems and protocols to the Indian Railways.About 57 consequential accidents have occurred in the current financial year between April 1 and September 15 in comparison to 65 accidents in the corresponding period of the previous year, which included 23 accidents at unmanned level crossings in each of these two years.The recent accident of Kalka Mail in July this year near Kanpur on North Central Railway involving 70 casualties and the collision near Arakkonam on Southern Railway resulting in 10 casualities has necessitated a holistic assessment of further additional measures, which can be adopted to enhance the safety environment on the Indian Railways.Following a series of accidents, Railway Ministry constituted the High Level Safety Review Committee, headed by ex-chairman of Atomic Energy Commission Dr Anil Kakodkar in September this year.