The DMK MP's tweet highlighted ongoing rail safety issues, citing frequent collisions and derailments. She questioned, "Should Indians wait 46 years for safer railways?" urging faster action and greater accountability in addressing railway safety concerns
Published Dec 05, 2024 | 8:50 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 06, 2024 | 2:51 PM
Kanimozhi highlights rail safety concerns in parliament, questions slow implementation of Kavach system
Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Member of Parliament and Deputy General Secretary of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), raised serious concerns over railway safety during a session in Parliament.
In a post on x, she pointed to alarming statistics on rail accidents, revealing that 748 lives had been lost, 678 train accidents had occurred, and 2,087 people had been injured over the last decade. According to her, some media reports suggest that the actual numbers may be even higher.
The DMK leader’s post highlighted a troubling trend in India’s rail safety, citing persistent collisions and derailments across the country.
“Should Indians wait 46 years for safer railways?” she questioned in her tweet, calling for more accountability and faster action on rail safety.
I raised the question in Parliament about railway safety: 748 lives lost, 678 train accidents, and 2,087 injured in the past 10 years! Several media reports suggest the numbers are much higher…
India’s rail safety is derailed. Collisions and derailments persist while modern… pic.twitter.com/Z6tMIMWitu
— Kanimozhi (கனிமொழி) (@KanimozhiDMK) December 5, 2024
She also underscored the slow progress of the government’s flagship safety initiative, the Kavach system—an automatic train protection (ATP) system designed to prevent accidents.
While Kavach was introduced in July 2020, only 1,548 kilometers of the country’s 68,584-kilometer railway network have been covered so far. At the current pace, Kanimozhi warned, it would take at least 46 years to implement the system across the entire network.
On the same day, a question raised in the Lok Sabha by Kanimozhi regarding “Consequential Rail Accidents” was addressed by Railway Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw. The Minister shared the following details on rail accidents over the past decade:
In response to Kanimozhi’s query on the reasons for these accidents, particularly derailments and collisions, the Minister acknowledged the need for improved signalling systems and train control technologies.
Ashwini Vaishnaw also confirmed that the Kavach system was being progressively deployed, but it had yet to cover the majority of the railway network.
Currently, the system has been installed on routes covering 1,548 kilometers on the South Central and North Central Railway zones, with work underway on major corridors like Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah.
Kanimozhi expressed concern over the slow pace of safety improvements, particularly when lives are at stake. “Where is the accountability?” she questioned, demanding more urgent steps to enhance safety measures and prevent future accidents on the railways.
As the government continues to roll out the Kavach system, questions remain about the speed of its deployment and whether the current measures are sufficient to address the ongoing safety challenges facing the Indian rail network
(Edited by Ananya Rao)
