Rail unions rally behind deceased driver, say it’s unfair to place blame before investigation

New Delhi: Various railway employee unions objected to the Railway Ministry’s initial response to the West Bengal train tragedy, when it blamed the driver of the goods train that hit for the accident. the Kanchanjunga Express from the rear.

Ten people, including the driver, lost their lives and 40 were injured in the accident near New Jalpaiguri on Monday.

Employee unions said openly blaming the driver, who is not alive to defend himself, is tantamount to making him the scapegoat for the railways’ systematic failings.

“It was very insensitive of the Railway Board to say that the driver exceeded the red signal, which caused the accident,” said Shiva Gopal Mishra, general secretary of the All India Men’s Federation. railways (AIRF).

“My advice to the Railway Commission is that in such cases, instead of blaming a member of staff, they should wait until the investigation is complete. I don’t think the driver is solely responsible for the accident,” he said.

Mishra referred to various operating norms and asked why the driver was allowed to cross all the red signals in the section when there was a train between them.

“Permission to cross the red signals should have been given only when the section (distance between the two stations) was clear and there were no trains in between,” he said.

The Railway Board on Monday admitted that there was a signal failure between Ranipatra railway station and Chattar Hat Junction, between which the accident took place.

The Board also said that the station master at Ranipatra had given written permission to the driver of the goods train to cross all the red signals. However, the driver was supposed to travel at a speed of 10 km with one minute of stopping at each red signal, he added.

According to the Board, he violated the speed limit and hit the Kanchenjunga Express which was waiting at one of the faulty signals.

“The standard also says that when the section was unclear, the freight train locomotive driver should not have received the permission letter to move. So there are so many factors responsible for this accident and the Board should have waited for the investigation,” Mishra said.

M Raghavaiah, general secretary of the National Federation of Indian Railwaymen (NFIR) highlighted the problems of vacancies and stress on locomotive pilots.

“15 per cent of the posts of locomotive pilots are vacant. This is a critical category post. They are not given adequate rest and leave to attend even their own social events,” Raghavaiah said .

He added: “The temperature difference inside and outside the engine is 3 degrees. Nowadays, when the outside temperature is 48 degrees, locomotive pilots work at 51 degrees. The railways had promised us to install air conditioning in all the engines, but they did not do that.”

Raghavaiah also expressed anguish over the Council’s initial response blaming the goods train driver and said, “No driver will deliberately violate the signal because he knows that he will be the first in the list of victims.” Instead of blaming the driver, improve their working conditions, their mental and psychological health and ensure them adequate rest.

Sanjay Pandhi, working president of the Indian Railway Loco Runningmen Organization (IRLRO), said the driver had worked four nights continuously and was not willing to make the journey but was forced to do.

“The driver was allegedly carrying out four night shifts. I have learned that he was reluctant to make the journey. This is against the rest norms of locomotive pilots,” he said.