Opposition condemns govt for railway mismanagement II VYGR

The Opposition leaders have condemned the Narendra Modi administration for the Kanchanjunga Express tragedy in West Bengal. On Tuesday, Congress requested the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, accusing the government of "destroying" Indian Railways and stating that he has no moral right to continue in the role. Mallikarjun Kharge, the president of the Congress, claimed that "the Modi government indulged in the utter mismanagement of the Railway Ministry in the past 10 years."

Supriya Shrinate, the national spokesman for the Congress, asserted that 1,117 railway accidents had occurred nationwide in the previous ten years. Questions were also raised about the much-hyped “Kavach” anti-train collision system and its implementation. The Congress leader noted that in the past, railway ministers were held accountable for these incidents.

The main areas of concern pointed out by the INC:

The National Crime Records Bureau reported that 100,000 people died in rail accidents between 2017 and 2021, yet approximately 300,000 railway positions have been empty for ten years.
The Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) needs to be strengthened enough to avoid these railway tragedies.
The funding of the 'Rashtriya Rail Suraksha Kosh' had been cut by 75%, with funds being allegedly misallocated.
The increased price for Sleeper Class travel and the reduction in sleeper coaches, which has led to overcrowding and ticket cancellations.
The lack of progress in the implementation of the 'Kavach' anti-train collision system, despite major accidents like Balasore (2023) that killed nearly 300 people

The major train accidents in the past decade:

2023: Nearly 300 people were killed and around 1,000 injured in the triple-train crash in Balasore, Odisha.
2022: 9 people died and around 36 were wounded in the Bikaner-Guhawati accident
2017: Around 23 people were killed and over 60 were injured in the Puri-Haridwar Utkal Express accident
2016: Nearly 150 died and over 150 were wounded in the Indore-Patna Express accident.

Furthermore, Supriya Shrinate stated that the Railways are India's lifeline, yet every traveller nowadays worries about whether they—or their corpse—will arrive at their destination.

Also read: Kanchanjungha Express Accident: At Least 9 Dead, 60 Injured

Inputs: Agencies

Image Source: Multiple agencies