CHENNAI: On the day the Railway Board chairman resigned following two derailments in the last one week, it emerged that a retired locomotive pilot is fighting to bring out the truth about an incident, which took place in Chennai earlier this year and poses serious question over rail safety.
On May 3, a locomotive pilot proceeding towards Washermanpet from Royapuram applied brake after noticing about 10 metres of the track ahead removed. There were no coaches attached to the engine.
Sources say the Washermanpet home signal flashed the amber sign, which gives the permission to the pilot to proceed with caution.
That should not have happened as the ‘continuous track circuiting technology’ was in place. If there is a break in the circuit, as in this case, the signal will automatically turn red.
Express, in its May 11 edition, carried a news report on this incident.
Realising the magnitude, B Subba Reddy, a veteran pilot with more than three decades’ service, filed a right to information (RTI) petition on May 15. In his petition, he sought to know about the action taken, besides requesting the data log of the signal concerned.
In its reply dated June 15, the Railways stated that the “inquiry is in progress” and failed to provide the answers as “it would impede the process of investigation or apprehension/prosecution of offenders.”
Unsatisfied with the reply, Reddy approached the first appellant authority on July 12. He is now waiting to hear back from the railways about his appeal.
Speaking to Express, Reddy, who voluntarily retired in 2000, disapproved the explanation given. “In the past, I have obtained enquiry reports, even from Commissioner of Railway Safety, through RTI.
Furthermore, by stating that the enquiry is in progress, it is a violation of the railway accident manual, which mandates the DRM to forward the enquiry findings to headquarters within 10 days,” he said.
In the light of the recent Utkal Express tragedy, which has yet again brought into public spotlight the issue of rail safety, Reddy said it was crucial that the railways should respond to his request. “As a pilot myself, signal is essential to ensure safe journeys. With regard to the May incident, the railways need to come out in the open as signal abnormality can possibly place travelling public in danger,” he stated.
Technical error suspected behind signal abnormality
Chennai: Sources say the Washermanpet home signal flashed amber sign, which gives the permission to the pilot to proceed with caution. That should not have happened as the ‘continuous track circuiting technology’ was in place. If there is a break in the circuit, the signal will automatically turn red.