Railway staff to blame, says report on Utkal derailment -Governance Now

Railway staff to blame, says report on Utkal derailment

The preliminary report says general reluctance in granting blocks to carry out maintenance work and unavailability of short margins was root cause of derailment

Vishwas Dass | September 6, 2017 | New Delhi

#report #Commissioner Railway Safety #maintenance #Utkal #derailment #Railway

Photo for representational purpose

The railway staff carried out track repair work without getting prerequisite permissions, said a preliminary report on the derailment of Puri-Haridwar Utkal Express that left 23 passengers dead.

The report has been accessed by Governance Now.

The report prepared by commissioner railway safety said the ground staff of the railways failed to provide the traffic block in time for repair of unsafe track that led to derailment of Utkal express.

Fourteen coaches of Utkal express were derailed between Khatauli and Mansurpur railway stations in Uttar Pradesh on August 19. Over 70 people were injured.

The report by CRS, northern circle, SK Pathak observed that most of the sections of the northern railway do not have provision of maintenance corridors (for more than 2.5 hours) for maintenance/repair of assets. It also says general reluctance in granting the block to carry out maintenance work and unavailability of short margins is the root cause of problem.

It stated that the departments concerned are giving a margin of only 1-2 hours for maintenance and repair work on the northern railway sections which flouts the rules of Railway Board of giving one block of at least four hours or two blocks of 2.5 hours to ensure adequate time for the maintenance.

CRS report lays emphasis on allowing assistant station masters (ASMs) to permit short blocks of around half an hour as they are at the ground level and understand the gravity of situation.

Senior officials earlier had questioned the lack of coordination between engineering, signaling and traffic wing staff.

Officials said that trackmen had started carrying out track maintenance work between Khatauli and Mansurpur railway stations of Delhi-Saharanpur section without even putting up a red flag at least one kilometer away from the site. Later, a few media reports say trackmen had sought block from the traffic wing official which denied the permission to do so because of punctuality reasons.

Comments

Other News

How the mind can help the body heal itself

Why do some people recover from illness against all odds? Can our beliefs, emotions and consciousness influence the body’s ability to heal? Drawing on over three decades of experience in medicine, research and medical innovation, internationally trained ophthalmologist and author Dr Dinesh Verma ex

1,364 anti-cancer formulations to cost less from today

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), under the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, has capped trade margins on the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of 137 anti-cancer drugs. This was based on the recommendations of an Expert Committee constitute

Who checks the books?

I read about the news about the Coimbatore library over coffee this morning. On the face of it, the headline was about a political ‘war’ between the DMK and TVK. But what stayed with me was something much more important than the blame game behind what had transpired. A writer walking through

Development paradox: Falling poverty miracle and an inequality problem

India’s reduction in poverty over the past decade is a development achievement of considerable significance. The World Bank’s April 2026 ‘India Development Update’ estimates that the share of Indians living below the international extreme-poverty line of $3.00 per person per day i

In Arunachal, a river we call mother

In Arunachal Pradesh, the Siang is not just a river. For many of us, especially the Adi people, it is part of our family. Our grandparents fished in it. Children learned to swim in it. Our farms drink from it. When someone says a huge dam will be built on it, we do not hear the word "project".

A new retelling of the Mahabharata delves into key moments

In a time when every decision carries consequences and questions of ambition, power, loyalty, identity and moral choice continue to shape our lives, Dr. Arun Krishnan’s new book, ‘Mahakshana’ (Penguin India) offers a strikingly relevant retelling of the Mahabharata.