Possible train mishap averted

Barely 15 minutes before the Durg-Puri Express was to pass through Sakhigopal railway station, about 40 km from here, on Friday, the key-man noticed the fish plate missing and alerted the authorities.

Confirming the incident, Divisional Railway Manager, Khurda Sanjeev Garg said the matter was being investigated by the Railway Protection Force and Government Railway Police.
An FIR had been lodged with the GRP about the missing fish plate, he said.

Though a couple of trains had passed through the spot before the key-man spotted the missing fish plate, it was not clear if it was in place when the trains moved, he said.
Stating that the tracks were regularly inspected on an hourly basis by patrol personnel, key-men and gang-men, Garg pointed out even then it was possible for a few trains to have passed through the spot without the fish plate in proper place.

"Absence of fish plates cannot remain unnoticed for a long period due to regular inspection," he said adding fish plates were in use in a very few places these days as the new system involving long rails do not require these metal bars to join the tracks together.
He said the Sakhigopal area was theft-prone and there had been instances of metal objects, bars and scraps being stolen by miscreants.