RAILWAY SAMACHAR

Railway Accidents & the role of the Railway system

In Indian railways the safety of all the passengers is depending on 2 men i.e. Loco Pilot & Asst Loco Pilot and in suburban section only on one man i.e. Motorman.

In each & every transport system at least 2 or three persons ensure safety. In an accident if driver died the 1^st statement from railway authorities comes (without any inquiry) “Driver ki galti thi”. Why? What the whole system is doing?

After enquiry of the accident the authorities conclude as due to Human error, but there are several issues to be discussed in intellectual way –

1. Why the whole safety is depending on mercy of Driver or motorman alone?

2. What is the security of Driver/ Motorman driving the train?

3. Who is monitoring his consciousness?

4. How many hours a man can have such a great concentration, required to drive a train? As a motorman passes about 2 signals beside several other obstructions/ trespassers.

5. Whether the Driver or Motormen has availed sufficient Rest?

6. Whether the Driver or Motormen has been provided proper accommodation to take proper rest in day time?

7. What should be the perk of a man responsible for the life of thousands of the passengers?

The senior railway officers feel relaxed by putting the responsibility of a person for any accident and most of the time that individual is driver or motorman, sometimes the responsibility goes on material/ equipment failure. Here a question arises, “what is the responsibility of this huge management system? Where the managers are more than the working hands.

Today an office clerk work only 40 hours a week with all the nights at home in bed and a weekly rest of 63.5 hours, where as a Driver or motorman work 52 hours per week and get only 30 hours rest in the week though he work against nature & round the clock why? What is the justification railway is having for this discrimination?

If the government of india is serious to stop the reoccurrences of such accidents, then they have to think the above questions. It is always expected that a judiciary committee should be appointed to consider the working conditions & responsibility of Motorman or Loco Pilot, as the Railway officials behave in biased way like the Fast Track Committee who recommended 10 hours work from the Loco running staff.

by Western Railway Motormens Association