BHUBANESWAR: Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain on Monday asked senior officials of East Coast Railway (ECoR) to keep their ears to the ground to strengthen track safety and avoid mishaps.
Referring to the recent spate of railway mishaps, he said, there must be a communication system between the top echelons and gangmen and track patrol staff to avoid recurrence of accidents.
He further asked officers to reach out to the ground staff and seek feedbacks from the lowest level of the pyramid, sources said. Gohain, who was here to take stock of the performance of ECoR and progress of on-going projects, addressed all the heads of departments in presence of General Manager Umesh Singh.
''You will be surprised at the understanding of the ground staff about field problems. I have had a number of interactions with the field staff and their feedback is enriching,'' he said and added that the top officials must make an effort to understand the basic problems of the ground staff. He also appreciated efforts put in by ECoR for enhancing safety in the aftermath of mishaps.
The Minister also said encroachments on railway lands need to be cleared on a systematic basis. If required, videography of all such land should be done.
Currently, there are over 6,000 encroachments under the ECoR jurisdiction. Gohain said eviction notices must be served in all the cases and proper documentation should be followed to withstand any legal hassles. Apart from videography, satellite images must be used to identify the exact encroachment and initiate proceedings, sources said.
He informed the meeting that since Khurda Road-Puri section has been declared a Green Corridor, there will be no human waste on the tracks from train toilets. All trains starting from Puri should be fitted with bio-toilets by the end of this year.
Gohain said Odisha is on top of priority list of Ministry of Railways and unconnected areas of the State will be given priority in linking. There will be no financial constraints for the projects and all new projects will be expedited with early tendering. Gohain also said he will personally review the delay in projects being undertaken by RVNL.
The Minister advised that focus should be on passenger amenities and aspirations of local people must be borne in mind. The ECoR officials have been advised to take local views and demands into consideration.