New Delhi: The composition of the committee formed to probe the Karukutty rail mishap has raised a few eyebrows.
Doubts have been raised about the fairness of the probe by a joint enquiry committee headed by chief safety officer John Thomas as it includes Latheef Khan, the chief track engineer responsible for releasing funds and sanctioning tracks to each railway zone.
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The railway has suspended a senior section engineer after it was found that the engineering section’s lapse led to the incident. Engineers, however, say that they can only recommend the replacement of faulty tracks and it was up to the higher officials in Chennai to take a decision on the recommendations.
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They are peeved about the action taken against the senior section engineer even as the chief track engineer, principal chief engineer, senior divisional engineer (coordination), senior divisional engineer and assistant divisional engineer have saved their skins.
The permanent way-staff who were in charge of the Karukutty section have also escaped action.
Nationwide safety check
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has apologized to the passengers for the inconvenience caused by the Karukutty train mishap. The minister told Malayala Manorama that he had called for a safety check on all tracks across the country from Thursday.
Railway Board (engineering) member A K Mittal will visit Kerala to take stock of the condition of tracks in the state and suggest remedial measures if necessary.
Mittal will travel to Kerala as soon as he returns from Goa, Railway Convention Committee chairman Bhartruhari Mahtab MP informed.
The Railway Board chairman has assured the convention committee members that they would pin the blame and take strict action.
The south zone railway additional general manager had inspected the site to evaluate the situation. The general manager is also expected to follow suit and initiate steps to restore rail traffic to its normal pace.
The Railway Board took to live online monitoring of the restoration of traffic after the accident. The works by the signal and telecommunications wing was webcast live on YouTube for higher officials to watch. The officers could ascertain the gravity of the situation and the pace of maintenance works.
Junior engineers Shine B Joseph and Sagin coordinated the webcast that started at 1:30 pm and lasted for nine hours. They utilized the services of three internet service providers.
