CHENNAI: It has been 16 months since seven passengers who traveled in a suburban train were killed after hitting a concrete wall at St. Thomas Mount station in Chennai.
Yet, the railways have not taken any action against officials involved in building the station or those who were on the duty either.
This is despite the Commissioner of railway safety conducting an inquiry into the incident and had blamed the faulty design and construction as one of the causes of the deaths.
On July 23 and 24 last year, in two different incidents seven rail passengers who travelled hanging on the footboard of an overcrowded suburban train running towards Tambaram direction were killed after hitting the concrete wall abutting platform 3 and 4 at St. Thomas Mount station.
The Chennai division of Southern railways in its response to 'Express', on the queries raised through 'RTI' on the action taken against the officials, stated that the commissioner of railway safety have fixed the responsibility on a railway official and two supervisors who were on the duty when the incident took place.
"The initiation of action is under process for issuing charge memos to Senior divisional engineer/Chennai, Senior Section Engineer/ Egmore and Junior Engineer/Bridges/Egmore based on CRS recommendation," said work branch of Chennai division after multiple requests and appeals under RTI.
While railway claimed that there was no infringement on the track at St. Thomas Mount station, the information sought by 'Express' through RTI exposed that the distance between concrete wall and centre of track at Thomas Mount was 2.24 meter as against mandated minimum distance of 2.36 meter prescribed by railway board. A detailed report on safety violation was published in 'Express' on December 3 last year.
K Baskar, member of Divisional rail user's consultative committee (DRUCC) Chennai division, charged that the railways is trying to protect its official and employees at the cost of passenger safety. "When a supervisor level or the below the rank of official diverted Tirupati fast local towards Gummidipundi section, no action was taken against the employees. Instead, fast trains are made to run in slow line causing ordeal to passengers,".
A month after the incident St. Thomas Mount, the railways have trimmed the platform 4 by 3 foot (roughly one meter) and pushed the track towards platform increasing the distance between concrete wall and the track.
The Chennai division's study revealed that there were infringements at 21 locations in four suburban sections. The permanent structures - foot over bridge, pillar of foot over bridge, road over bridge, concrete wall, station building and minor bridges were built much shorter than 2.32 meter from the Centre of the track.
The fast locals in Chennai Beach - Chengalpattu which got suspended after the incident on July 24 last year was resumed on June 1st.