Anil Kakodkar headed panel on rail safety, Sreedharan to be adviser

NEW DELHI: Faced with recurring train mishaps, Government on Friday set up a high-level review committee comprising experts like former Atomic Energy Commission chairman Anil Kakodkar and DMRC chief E Sreedharan to conduct a safety audit and plug loopholes in the system.

"The high-level committee will conduct a safety audit examining all aspects and submit its report within three months," Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi said here, adding it was part of government efforts to achieve "zero tolerance" on safety issues.

Headed by Kakodkar, the committee will have N Vedachalam of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Sanjay Dhande of IIT-Kanpur and GP Srivastava of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. Sreedharan will be adviser to the committee.

There were at least 57 accidents in the current financial year including Howrah-Kalka Mail and Mathura Chhapra Express accidents which claimed 70 and 30 lives respectively in July.

Based on the accidents in the recent past, the committee would examine aspects connected with signalling systems, rolling stock of all types, human resource development with emphasis on training, education and research.

The committee would also suggest if there is a need for a third party audit, organisational and structural changes in Research Design and Standard Organisation (RDSO) and in any other department and improvements in procedural system.

"Safety is an ongoing process. Our first priority is safety and there will be no compromise on it. We are working towards zero tolerance as far as safety is concerned," Trivedi said.