Technology Failure
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Technology Failure

Managing Editor
 

 

Two major train accidents took place within 50 days killing at least 250 people in West Bengal. Where is the safety of passengers? On 28th May, nearly 150 people died in a Bombay-bound passenger train derailed and was hit by a goods train in West Bengal. Police accused Maoist rebels of sabotaging the track, but Maoist denied the charge. Maoist leader ensured the full safety of train during night passing thru the area of their control. We are not sure the exact cause of the accident. Was it the mechanical failure or something else. Again within less than two months, 19th July, a speeding passenger express train hit another train waiting at a station in the town of Sainthia, West Bengal killed at least 70 people and injured another 120. If we go back to previous year, 14th November 2009, an express train crashed near Jaipur and killed at least 7 people. On 2nd November 2009, 14 people killed when a passenger train rams into a truck at an unmanned crossing in Uttar Pradesh. On 21st October 2009, two passenger trains collided near Mathura and killed at least 22. On 14th February 2009, at least 15 people were killed in a train derailment in the state of Orissa. So within one and a half year, more than 300 people killed.

 

 Every time, Railway Minister says, "We will investigate the matter and will compensate the victim's family, and ensure such incident do not repeat in future. Those who are responsible will be punished,...." Sometimes it is very tough to identify the dead body and in this scenario, I wonder how they compensate the victim's family. Have the family of May 28 accident got compensation yet? Or how long it will take to compensate them? There is speculation that faulty signaling may have been the cause of crash. If so, how this major error happened? It is also expecting both the drivers of running train which collide the other train were slept. This type of incident happened earlier also yet the railway authority did not take proper step to overcome mishap. Are the drivers always getting proper rest after driving a long line? Or they are being called for extra hour work! 

 

 Indian railway get huge amount of money thru passenger fairs and freight services. Yet the  government are not setting up new line as needed to control the regular rush of increasing passengers. Every year new train has been introduced in old line, and unable to manage the service . We need more train and new line to control usual rush. Each time, I want to purchase a ticket, the status shows "WL" or "Regret RAC" prior to a month from the date of journey. Government wants to earn more money issuing "WL" ticket rather than provide confirmed ticket. Can Mamata Benerjee, the Railway Minister, ensure poor people's safety and security and not to prioritise Railway profits? Human life is more valuable than making profit from railway. Are these two latest incidents might be a political blame game in her own state?

 

Time has come to think seriously about the peoples' safety. Persons who are sleeping during the night traveling by a train suddenly attacked by another train and suddenly dying, someone losing their several body parts while sleeping,.... Should not this think seriously for the future? British government set up and extend larger railway line in India. It is very ridiculous, government failed to extend new railway line as much as British did in India. There are technology no chance of signal failure while a train is waiting on the platform. Yet another train enter into the platform and hit the train waiting in platform. Who will take care safety and security of passengers while traveling in a train? We need more advance technology to avoid mishap if the drivers sleep while driving as several thousand passenger's life and safety fully depend on them.

 

 

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