Facing public outcry after the Utkal Express derailment, the Central government said the number of train accidents in the last three years has declined following the safety features initiated by the Railways.
In 2014-15, the number of accidents was 135 which decreased to 107 in 2015-16 and further to 104 in 2016-17, a Railway Ministry official said.
In the current year, the accidents decreased from 29 to 15 during April-June in comparison to the corresponding period of 2016, an improvement of 48.3%, the official said.
The average annual accidents during UPA I were 207 per year, during UPA II were 135 per year and during the current government have reduced to 115 per year the government said countering the Congress allegation that the railway accidents have increased during the NDA regime.
The Opposition party had questioned the measures the government took to curb accidents after the Utkal Express derailment which claimed 23 lives and injuring 96 persons.
“Although every human life is invaluable and any casualty is an irreparable loss to us, the number of casualties has also seen a declining trend, the statement said. “The total number of fatalities in the first three years of the UPA I (the United Progressive Alliance I) was 759, (and it) increased to 938 during the UPA II...The first three years of this government have seen the number declining to 652,” it added.
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