NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Modi on Friday interacted with Railway Minister Ashwani Vaishnav and the entire Railway Board and addressed his concerns over train security and safety measures in the ligh of the Balasore train tragedy on June2 that took livers of nearly 300 people and left many more wounded.
He sought the saftty protocol and road map for ensuring no more repeat of the Balasore train tragedy in future.
While the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Commissioner Rail Safety are conducting their independent probes into the triple tragedy, the Prime Minister and the Railway Minister unequivocally stated that those responsible for the accident will not be spared.
A senior railway official revealed that several infrasrucure projects are currentlyunderway with the stringent targets. He said it is essential to sensitise those in the field on the importance of maintaining the integrity of the signaling sstem for the sake of safety.
The Railway Board officials also prepared an update for the PM to fill vacancies across the railway sector.The opposition parties have raised hue and cry on the number of the vacant posts.
They also told the PM that the instructions have gone out to all general managers to ensure that te protocols around the signaling system are tamper proof as discussed by the first high level meeting after the mishap. They have asked the officials to make the railway network completely tamper-proof against the external elements.
The Board also faulted the operating signaling staff continue to adopt shortcut methods for clearing signals without checking the corresponce from the sites or properly exchanging disconnection or reconnection.
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