KRC
to spend Rs 25 crore on safety
Sandesh Prabhudesai
10 July 2003
Continuing landslides along the coastal line following the
tragic killer accident at Vaibhavwadi in Konkan Maharashtra
have compelled the Konkan Railway Corporation to immediately
take up the work of additional safety measures, by spending
around Rs 25 crore.
As obvious fallout of the 'natural dangers' posed along the
Mumbai-Mangalore track, the KRC authorities have also postponed
their ambitious plan to commission the 'bullet train', until
the safety measures are put in place.
The Board of Directors, who met here in Margao this week,
has sanctioned Rs 25 crore for adopting all kind of necessary
safety measures, on a condition that the work should be completed
within a year, compressing the earlier deadline of three years.
The major amount of this fund would be spent on the unique
'raksha dhaga', the nylon chord that would alert the train
driver about landslides or sliding boulders. The BoD has also
decided to double its number from 400 to 800, which would
be installed at all the tunnels and critical cuttings.
One such boulder that slid down the track at Vaibhavwadi
killed almost 53 passengers, travelling in the Mumbai-Karwar
Holiday Special train, on 22 June. Meanwhile, more landslides
are still being reported along the track at several places
in Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka.
B Rajaram, CMD of the KRC, admits that the plan to commission
the fast-speed Goa-Mumbai train has to be put on hold, until
all the safety measures are followed. The 'bullet train' is
expected to move at the speed of 160 kms per hour, covering
the distance within four hours.
Meanwhile, the local bench of the Mumbai high court here
has issued notices to the railway ministry and the KRC, while
acting on a letter-turned-petition of two local law college
students, complaining about lack of amenities and infrastructural
facilities.
Fawia Mesquita and Elaine Colaco, students of the V M Salgaoncar
Law College, have pointed out several shortcomings of the
KRC, including lack of foot-over-bridges connecting the platforms,
stopping trains on side-tracks having no platform at the stations,
crowding the general compartments and impatient delays.
The law student duo has described it as a criminal offence,
in violation of the railway safety rules provided in the Railway
Act. The division bench comprising of Justice F I Rebello
and Justice P V Hardas has taken serious note of the letter,
while converting it into a petition.
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