The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the investigation into the dreadful train tragedy in Balasore, Odisha, that left nearly 300 dead and around 900 injured, with several unanswered questions. Was there criminal tampering with the point machine or the electronic interlocking system, or whether the train switched tracks due to a signal error? These and many other questions will be before the CBI as they embark on a difficult probe that has now veered around a possible "sabotage".
Ironically, it is a pity that even four days after one of India's worst rail accidents, there is no conclusion of what led to the mishap even as theories and allegations have kept flying thick and thin and on this count, the government's impatience is understandable in initiating a CBI inquiry even before the commissioner of Railway safety could submit his report.
Railways are known to be operating on 'fail safe' control systems along with its 'Kavach system' to ensure safety. However, this accident has only highlighted that railways have a lot of ground to cover on public safety and look into other aspects like the upgradation of infrastructure and periodic training and assessment of manpower.
Records show that around 2.6 lakh people have lost their lives in train accidents in the past ten years, which is staggering and painful. Incidentally, 70 per cent of these fatalities are due to people falling off the trains or getting hit by trains. In the past five years, 293 people have died in derailments and 446 in collisions.
The Odisha train tragedy came when India was warming up to the introduction of Vande Bharat Express, with Railways planning to operationalise 20 to 35 trains by August 15 this year. With a focus on speed that goes up to 180 km per hour and the introduction of bullet trains, railways have grown exponentially, providing swift movement and adding a certain degree of comfort to rail travel. The transition is visible as connectivity and ease of travel have undergone a sea change.
The high volume of passengers tells a positive story of the fourth-largest rail network in the world, which has a track expanse of over 68,000 kilometres. An accident along the lines of the one witnessed in Odisha would be catastrophic and severely dent the image of Railways, which is why the Railways need constant reforms and improved safety systems keeping in mind the changing scenarios and the damage inflicted on lives.
The Railways will have to relook at safety on multiple counts and possibly revisit the CAG report, which picked holes in security. The audit report of 2022, which considered accidents between April 2017 and 2021, highlighted 23 factors responsible for accidents, prominent among them was poor maintenance of tracks, besides suggesting timely track maintenance activities and using improved technologies.
While the CBI picks up the pieces and goes about its probe, authorities face another arduous task of helping families identify bodies as over 100 dead are still to be claimed. The situation becomes tricky because some bodies are mutilated beyond recognition, which has thrown a dilemma of a DNA test for identification.
With tales of horror still unfolding and Railways going on an overdrive to restore tracks, they would have a more challenging job of restoring the shaken public's confidence.
