Merely after a month, India woke up today to the news of yet another train accident in which 14 coaches of Sealdah-Ajmer express derailed near Kanpur.
The second rail tragedy, witnessed in Uttar Pradesh after the November 20 Indore-Patna express accident, has left two passengers dead and over 24 injured.
This accident has once again highlighted the fact that the Narendra Modi government talks more about the bullet trains, beautification of trains and platforms and very less when it comes to the safety of passengers.
The frequent train accidents are a wake up call for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government and highlights the critical need to upgrade infrastructure and technology in the railway system.
Given the sheer size of Indian Railways, improving safety measures will take both time and money. But the pertinent question is: Do we even give any priority to safety? It seems that we don’t.
#WATCH 14 coaches of Train no 12988 #AjmerSaeldah express derail near Roora (Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh). Several injured. pic.twitter.com/s3VRDUavlu
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) December 28, 2016
It seems that under the BJP government, aesthetics have taken precedence over safety.
Indian railways has been rolling out newly designed ‘beautiful’ and ‘comfortable’ coaches and the response has been praiseworthy towards the current government.
With the newly designed bio-toilets installed in our coaches, no human excreta fall on the railway tracks. Kudos to the Modi government for not letting the human excreta fall on the tracks and taking such good steps for a clean India.
But what about the human beings falling onto the tracks after rail accidents? When will the government improve the safety measures rather than just ordering probe after such incidents.
Reportedly, 243 train accidents have occurred ever since BJP formed the government at the Centre. Here’s a look at the major train accidents:
2014
May 26: 12556 Gorakhpur bound Gorakhdham Express rammed into an stationary goods train near Khalilabad station in Sant Kabir Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh killing at least 25 and injuring over 50.
June 25: 12236 Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express derailed near Bihar’s Chapra town, four killed and eight injured.
July 23: A school bus was hit by Nanded Passenger train at an unmanned railway level crossing in Masaipet village of Medak district. 16 students aboard the bus, the bus driver and his help died in the accident.
2015
February 13: 12677 Bangalore City-Ernakulam Intercity Express derailed near Anekal. 12 dead and 100 people were left injured.
(Courtesy: YouTube/Studio N News)
March 20: One of the worst train accidents in recent history, 58 killed and over 150 people injured as Dehradun-Varanasi Janta Express derails in Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli.
May 25: Muri Express derails in Uttar Pradesh leaving 4 people dead and more than 50 injured.
August 7: At least 25 people killed after the Kamayani Express from Mumbai to Varanasi and the Mumbai-Jabalpur Janata Express derailed near Kudawa railway station in Madhya Pradesh.
12 September 2015: 9 coaches of 12220 Secunderabad Junction-Mumbai Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Duronto Express derailed at Martur railway station, killing at least 2 women and injuring 7 others.[105]
12 September 2015: 3 coaches of a chartered Kalka-Shimla Shivalik Queen (toy train), derailed near Taksal in Himachal Pradesh killing 2 Britons and injuring 13 more British nationals.
2016
December 6: At least two people were killed and 10 injured when two coaches and the engine of Guwahati-bound Capital Express from Bihar’s Rajendra Nagar Terminal derailed in North Bengal.
November 20: The worst rail tragedy in the country in recent years, over 140 people were killed and 180 others were injured when 14 coaches of Patna-Indore Express derailed in Kanpur Dehat district.
(Courtesy: YouTube/India TV)
September 30: The Bhubaneswar-Bhadrak passenger train and a goods train near Kathojodi station at Cuttack collided with each other causing the deaths of two Government Railway
Police employees.
July 26: Eight children, not older than the age of 10 years old, were killed when a passenger train hit the school van carrying them at an unmanned railway crossing in eastern UP. According to the police, the impact of the collision was such that the van was thrown up in the air and landed in a nearby field.
May 1: Eight coaches of the Old Delhi-Faizabad Express derail near Hapur in Uttar Pradesh. Railway officials said 12 passengers were injured while police put the number between 40 and 50. No death was reported.
February 5: At least ten people injured after several coaches of the Kanyakumari-Bangalore Island Express derail near Patchur in Vellore district of Tamil Nadu. No casualties reported.
