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.

The committee would lay down the road map on safety related issues which need to be addressed in the short term and the long term and would give invaluable recommendations which would have a significant bearing on further improvement in the systems and protocols.

Trivedi said a lot of ground work has been done before roping in these experts. "We discussed the issue with former ISRO chairman Kasturi Rangan and he suggested Kakodkar's name."

He said railways would make all efforts to address the recommendations of the committee with a view to achieve further improvement in the safety environment on the Indian Railways.

Citing statistics, Trivedi, however, said there is a decline in the number of accidents. "The number has decreased from 2000 in 1960-61 to 473 in 2000-01 and further to 141 in 2010-11."

He also said, "When we compare with accidents world over we are not badly off. But we have to ensure there should not be a single accident. We in the Railways are seriously concerned with any accident, particularly an accident involving loss of human lives."

On accidents at level crossings, Railways minister expressed his helplessness saying, "We have no control."

He said the recent accident of Kalka Mail in July 2011 near Kanpur on north central railway involving 70 casualties and also the collision near Arakonnam on southern railway involving 10 causalities has necessitated a holistic assessment of further additional measures which can be adopted to further enhance the safety environment on the Indian Railways.