Lok Sabha panel asks railways to focus on safety steps

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Lok Sabha has called for strict adherence to fail-safe measures by Indian Railways to boost passenger safety while flagging certain procedural lapses during railway maintenance works that led to cable faults. The PAC, chaired by senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, in its report tabled in Parliament also pointed out lacunae in adhering to Joint Procedure Orders (JPO) relating to the digging work in vicinity of signalling, electrical and telecommunication cables.

Referring to the Balasore train tragedy that claimed 291 lives, the committee said, "In light of the potential accidents that could arise due to cable cuts, the committee emphatically urged the ministry to prioritise protection and maintenance of Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) communication system".

"The recent derailment of Train No. 12841, Coromandel Express... serves as a stark reminder of the serious consequences such incidents may have," the committee said, asking the railways ministry to take immediate action and invest in advanced technology for proactive fault detection.- Our Bureau