Odisha train accident: Ashwini Vaishnaw gets emotional, says responsibility not over
In the wake of the devastating triple train accident in Balasore, Odisha, which claimed the lives of 275 individuals and left over 1,000 injured, Union railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw turned emotional as he addressed the resumption of services following the repair of the damaged tracks.
Determined to fulfill his responsibilities, the minister vowed to go beyond the immediate aftermath of the incident, focusing on reuniting missing persons with their anxious family members.
:…”Our goal is to make sure missing persons’ family members can find them as soon as possible…our responsibility is not over yet,” Vaishnaw said.
Videos also showed Vaishnaw praying on the side-lines as train services were restored in the down-line track of the accident site. The restoration was done in 51 hours since the mishap.
Technical snag behind Odisha train tragedy
Friday’s tragic incident involving three trains – the Bengaluru-Howrah Yashwantpur Superfast Express, Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, and a goods train, has been attributed to a technical glitch in the signalling system. In a press briefing, Vaishnaw had acknowledged that the root cause of the incident was associated with the point machine and electronic interlocking system.
The malfunctioning of the electronic interlocking system, a sophisticated signal system responsible for preventing train collisions by managing their movement on the tracks, was identified as the cause of this devastating incident.
The crash set off a political row with opposition parties questioning the government about the lack of safety measures such as “Kavach”.
The railway minister denied claims that the accident had anything to do with the anti-collision system “Kavach”. He refuted West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s allegations that the accident could have been prevented with the Kavach device.
Railways seeks CBI probe
On Sunday, the Railways ministry sought a probe by the central bureau of investigation into the incident. “Keeping in mind all that happened, the information that the administration has, the Railways board has made a recommendation that the investigation be handed over to the CBI,” Railways minister said.