Railway safety reforms in India remain on the backburner even as one accident has been occurring every three days during the tenure of Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu.

Railway Ministry sources said 346 accidents have occurred since 2015 when Prabhu took over the portfolio. However, much like his predecessors, he too failed to implement the recommendations of the Anil Kakodkar committee on railway safety that was accepted by the ministry five years ago.

The committee was constituted in 2012 by then railway minister Dinesh Trivedi and chaired by former Atomic Energy Commission chairman Anil Kakodkar. They were to be implemented over a course of five years. The most important recommendations included filling up of vacant posts for railway safety staff and creating a special fund of Rs 1 lakh crore to be spent over five years.

REPORT AWAITED, AUTHORITIES SUSPENDED

He had also recommended replacing the existing trains with new LHB coaches. However, railways have now expedited the manufacture of LHB coaches that come with advanced safety features. Meanwhile, heads have begun to roll in the Utkal Express mishap. Prabhu ordered three top officials - member (engineering), railway board; general manager, Northern Railway; and Delhi DRM - to go on leave pending inquiry. Seven other officers have also been suspended, while the chief track engineer of Northern Railway has been transferred, Railway spokesperson Anil Saxena said.

Sources in the ministry said the action followed an internal inquiry report which said lack of communication resulted in the accident. It said the railway track was cut and fish plates removed due to maintenance work but without the knowledge of authorities concerned. Consequently, the train driver was not informed about speed restriction and this caused the mishap.

According to railway ministry data, nearly 1.42 lakh posts for safety staff remain vacant across India, which, experts say, is a major concern and clear case of official apathy. Had the recommendations been implemented effectively, they said, the horrific accidents such as the one in Muzaffarnagar on Saturday, could have been avoided. At least 20 people were killed and 34 injured when 13 bogies of the Utkal Express derailed.

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