No intent to address safety lapse: Kharge tells Modi

Mounting pressure on the Centre over the Odisha train tragedy that claimed 275 lives, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that roping of another agency without expertise shows that the government has no intent to address systematic safety malaise.

His remarks came a day after Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the Railway Board has recommended for a CBI probe to probe the deadly accident that occurred on June 2 in Balasore district.

In his letter to Modi, the Congress leader said that all the empty safety claims of the Railway Minister have now been exposed and there is serious concern among the common passengers about this deterioration in safety.

Kharge said that the devastating train accident in Balasore has shocked the nation and the country stands united in this hour of grief, however the loss of so many precious lives has shaken the conscience of every Indian.

“The loss of these lives is irreparable and no amount of monetary compensation or words of condolence can make up for this grave tragedy. But I say with remorse that instead of focusing on strengthening the railways at the basic level only superficial touch up is being done to stay in news.

“Instead of making the railways more effective, more advanced, and more efficient, it is instead being meted out with step-motherly treatment,” Kharge said.

He also alleged that flawed decision making has made travelling by rail unsafe and has in turn compounded the problems of our people.

“The statements so far and the roping in of yet another agency without the required expertise, remind us of 2016 (Patna-Indore Express accident). They show that your government has no intent to address the systemic safety malaise, but is instead finding diversionary tactics to derail any attempts to fix accountability,” he alleged.

“The nation still remembers the 2016 derailment in Kanpur, where 150 people lost their lives. The Railway Minister asked the NIA to investigate. Subsequently, you yourself (Modi) claimed in an election rally in 2017 that there was a ‘conspiracy’. The nation was assured that strictest punishment would be meted out. However, in 2018, the NIA closed the investigation and refused to file a chargesheet. The nation is still in the dark — who is responsible for 150 avoidable deaths?” he asked.

Kharge said that the train accident in Odisha has been an “eye opener for all of us”.

“All the empty safety claims of the Railway Minister have now been exposed. There is serious concern among the common passengers about this deterioration in safety. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the government to ascertain and bring to light the real reasons that caused this grave accident.”

He said that the most crucial step is to prioritise installation of mandatory safety standards and equipment across railway routes to ensure safety of our passengers and no recurrence of an accident like the one at Balasore.

With inputs from News18

The post No intent to address safety lapse: Kharge tells Modi first appeared on IPA Newspack.