NEW DELHI: Concerned over cases of derailment due to the carelessness of its staff at worksites, the Railway Board has now directed zonal railways that safety is sacrosanct and should not be compromised under any circumstances and staff should refrain from shortcuts.
Listing out one such incident where the derailment happened due to an error by staff, Railway board said it shows that field officials are still resorting to shortcuts at worksites which lead to unsafe conditions.
"It has been repeatedly emphasised by railway Board that safety is sacrosanct and should not be compromised under any circumstances," said board in a directive issued to zonal railways.
The board has advised all zonal railways to sensitize the field officials and staff to follow proper work procedures while undertaking works of track maintenance and renewals and works and projects affecting safety of train operation on operational tracks.
While railways registered fewer accidents in 2017 compared to the previous year but the first three months of FY 2018 has seen an increase in cases compared to same period last year.
"It should be ensured that shortcuts which may lead to unsafe situations are not adopted. While works requiring traffic blocks should be undertaken in blocks of adequate duration with proper planning and arrangements of resources, it should be ensured by officials operating the block that the blocks are cleared only after satisfactory completion of works essential for safe operation of traffic," it added.
Senior officers at zonal railways have been directed to inspect few work sites to ensure adoption of safe working practices and procedures.
According to official data, human error is the biggest reason behind rail accidents and the number continues to remain high over the years.
While the failure of the staff led to 31 accidents in 2017-18, 64 such accidents had occurred due to their error in 2016-2017 and the number was 55 in 2015-2016.End