NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said the CBI, NIA, railway police and the MHA are jointly working on a security scheme for the protection of railway network to ensure that there is no sabotage.
Shah’s statement came amid several attempts to cause train accidents. According to data, 18 attempts have been to derail trains across the country since August this year.
The home minister says any conspiracy to cause railway accidents will not succeed. “The government is rooting out causes of such accidents in trains. Work is on for a scheme involving NIA, CBI, home ministry, and railway police for the protection of the 1.10 lakh km railway network across the country,” Shah said at a special media briefing on the achievements of 100 days of the Modi 3.0 government.
He said the government has taken strong measures following some such accidents and is working to prevent such occurrences in railways through the protection scheme. He said a wider discussion was held on the issue of railway safety with Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw over the last two days.
“So far as such kinds of accidents in railway are concerned, we will investigate the root cause. Whatever the reason, the government is committed to addressing the issue. If this is a conspiracy, it will not last long. If there are gaps, they will be plugged,” Shah said
He said the railways has witnessed fast pace of development in its services and infrastructure during the tenure of the Modi government. “In the first 100 days of Modi government 3.0, the government has approved eight new railway line projects for faster and convenient travel by train. These projects are expected to generate 4.42 crore human days of employment”, he said.
Vaishnaw had also told the media recently that detailed investigations were carried out in some suspected attempts to cause train derailments.
Referring to finding of LPG cylinders, bicycles, iron rods and cement blocks on rail tracks, he said law enforcement agencies will go after every “conspirator” and ensure no guilty is spared.
Vaishnaw said railway accidents have dropped in the last 10 years. “As many as 171 rail accidents per year were registered before 2014, which now has reduced to maximum 40 accidents per year,” he said.
‘Strong measures’
Home Minister Amit Shah said the government has taken strong measures following some such accidents and is working to prevent such occurrences in railways through the protection scheme. He further added that a wider discussion was held on the issue of railway safety with Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw over the last two days of the meeting.