RailEnquiry

VARANASI/NEW DELHI: In the second major train accident within 10 days, at least five passengers were killed and more than 15 injured when five sleeper coaches of 1309 Howrah-Dehradoon ( Doon Express) derailed between Khetasarai and Mehravan stations in Jaunpur district on Thursday.The toll is likely to increase as some bodies are still believed trapped in the mangled coaches. On May 22, Bangalore-bound Hampi Express had barreled into a goods train in Punukonda in Andhra Pradesh killing 25 people. While poor track maintenance was believed to be the reason behind the Jaunpur derailment, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee repeated her oft-heard sabotage theory."It was a bandh day. Whether it was an accident or sabotage and how it took place is for the railways to inquire. I have seen the Jnaneswari accident... It's extremely sad," said Mamata, almost out of turn, even before her handpicked railway minister Mukul Roy could react. Mamata, who has twice been railway minister, said she had information that the assistant train driver saw something on the track and applied emergency brakes, leading to the accident."The driver pulled emergency brakes when he saw some problem on the track," said a senior railway official. After Mamata and Mukul Roy floated the sabotage theory, the official, too, said sabotage couldn't be ruled out. However, Varanasi-based divisional railway manager Lalit Kapoor said the exact reason of the accident would be known only after the investigation.

Roy, who left for accident spot from Kolkata, announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the next of kin of those killed, Rs 1 lakh for those with grievous injuries and Rs 25,000 for those with simple injuries.

The accident, which took place around 1:20 pm, exposed yet again the hazards of travelling on a cash-strapped railways. According to experts, safety is being compromised as the railways' focus is now on adding at least 70 trains every year so that it can increase its revenue. Fatigue was also pointed out as a possible cause of the accident, as was said to be the case in the Hampi express mishap.

According to Jaunpur DM Balkar Singh, four bodies were recovered shortly after the accident and one during the rescue operation. "The injured were admitted to different hospitals," he said.

Eyewitnesses and villagers, who reached the accident site, said a loud sound was heard after the derailment, suggesting that the train was in high speed when the accident occurred. Of the five sleeper coaches that tilted, two were derailed. While villagers reached the site immediately after the accident to begin rescue operation, the district administration and railways could start the operation only after an hour.

Hansraj Yadav, who was travelling in AC-first, said a loud sound was heard as the train came to a standstill. He added he saw at least 10 bodies after the accident.

Another passenger, Ghulam Mustafa Rahat of Sitamarhi (Bihar), who boarded the ill-fated S-7 coach of the train, said he fell from his berth and could hear loud sound as the coach hit the track with a bang after the accident. "Luckily, I sustained minor injury, but could see at least two bodies in the coach," he said.

As the sleeper coaches had overturned with some of them badly damaged, the rescue and relief measures had yet to gather momentum. Arrangement of gas-cutters and other machines was being made at the site till reports last came.

Times View

Whether this specific accident happened because of the poor condition of the tracks or not is something that investigations will establish, but there is little doubt that such accidents will become frequent if the railways do not urgently address that issue. In recent years, the focus of rail ministers has been largely on earning brownie points with voters by freezing fares and announcing projects in select states. While some of that is inevitable in a democracy, it is dangerous when that becomes the exclusive obsession and the core job of managing the railways is ignored. Investing in modernization and safety is not an option, it is essential, and our ministers must recognize that.