The Hindu : New Delhi News : Agra DRM shown the door

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Friday, Oct 23, 2009
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Agra DRM shown the door

K. Balchand

Mamata upset; three more officers told to proceed on leave

Statutory probe begins into the train mishap
Railway Board to go in for more automation

NEW DELHI: Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday expressed her displeasure at the way the Goa Express rammed into the Mewar Express killing 22 passengers near Mathura a day earlier and soon after the Railway Board brought the axe down on the Divisional Railway Manager of Agra who was issued marching orders.

Agra DRM R. D. Tripathi has been transferred and replaced by Dean IRITM (Lucknow) Devesh Kumar Mishra. The Board also directed the Senior Divisional Signal and Telecom Engineer, Agra, and the Senior Divisional Electrical Engineer Operations, Jhansi Division, to proceed on leave.

These actions were taken after Ms. Banerjee convened an emergency meeting of the Railway Board, gave it a piece of her mind, and directed it to pull up its socks. She made it clear that she would not compromise on the safety aspect of the Railways and that she would not tolerate those playing with the lives of the people and promised action against those found wanting in this regard.

The Railway Minister summoned a meeting of the Board to review safety aspects which stood clouded by the collision, particularly because the accident occurred inside the automated block section and the Goa Express driver was attributed with an excellent track record prior to Wednesday’s incident.

The Minister called for a mid-career training course for all loco pilots and to upgrading the signalling system and monitoring it more stringently. Earlier in the day, the Railway Board took stock of the situation and decided to go in for more automation and reduce dependence on manual effort.

Even as Ms. Banerjee has announced her decision to ask the CBI to probe the accident, particularly because the emergency chain had been pulled to bring the Mewar Express to a halt, Railway Safety Commissioner P. K. Vajpayee on Thursday began his statutory probe into the mishap visiting the accident site and questioning the driver, guard and assistant guard of the Goa Express which had overshot the signals and rammed into the moving Mewar Express.

The three police personnel who had pulled the emergency chain of the Mewar Express in a bid to prevent an under-trial prisoner escaping, were arrested and remanded to judicial custody.

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