Rlys forms committee to prevent accidents
Experts in technical fields to provide independent view
To suggest measures for stopping train accidents, the Railways on Friday constituted a high-level safety review committee under the chairmanship of former chairman of Atomic Energy Agency Anil Kakodkar.
Managing Director of Delhi Metro Corporation E Shreedharan has been made adviser of the committee. The other members of the committee are N Vedachalam of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram; Sanjay Dhande, director IIT Kanpur; and G P Srivastava, director E&I Group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.
Holistic assesment
Announcing the constitution of the committee, Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi revealed that the recent train accidents—at Kanpur in July and at Arakonnam this week—“necessitated a holistic assessment of further additional measures which can be adopted to enhance safety environment.
The committee, comprising experts in technical and high-end technology related fields, will also provide valuable independent outsiders’ view in respect of the system and protocol.”
Examining safety
Based on the accidents and their consequences witnessed in the recent past, the committee has been assigned the task of examining all safety related aspects, including signalling systems, rolling stock, fixed structures like tracks, bridges, overhead fittings and human resource development.
The committee will also examine the need for a third party audit and other organisational and structural changes in the Research Designs and Standards Organisation.
He asserted that the committee will also look into such aspects of training, skill development, and facilities to the safety staff that are necessary to remove human error.
“It is true that the safety involves huge money. I will look into all options to mobilise finance. Safety cannot be compromised. I will approach the prime minister for it,” said Trivedi.
