‘Mishap exposes admin lacunae during minor repairs’

Three railway employees were killed in a tragic accident between Vasai and Naigaon stations in Mumbai. Railway unions are highlighting safety concerns during repairs of minor rail failures, such as the point failure that occurred. They are calling for speed restrictions and caution orders to be implemented until staff return to the station after completing repairs. The Western Railway has expressed condolences and is providing financial support to the families of the deceased employees.

Mumbai: Monday’s tragic accident between Vasai and Naigaon stations which claimed the lives of three railway employees has brought forth what a section of railway employees call an “apparent lacuna in the working of the administration during repairs of minor rail failures”.

HT Image

Unions of railway employees said that in case of minor failures, such as the point failure on Monday, the staff carry out repairs while trains are allowed to ply at speeds up to 40kmph; often, the staff try to rectify the issue without following due process to avoid long delays. In comparison, major repairs are undertaken during mega blocks.

Alok Chandra Prakash, national secretary, Indian Railways S&T Maintainers’ Union, said that in many instances, cases of signal failure and repair are not even recorded as minor work as there are a lot of processes that must be followed. “We have told the ministry about this unsafe practice. There is a need to have speed restrictions, and drivers must be informed about the work.” Improper work hours comprise another glaring issue, said Prakash. “Our staff are called at any time of the day and there are no fixed work hours. In this case too, the employees were at home when they were called for emergency repair works,” he said, adding that the railways must fill up pending vacancies at the earliest.

Meanwhile, Western Railway released a statement saying three employees had lost their lives “in the line of their duty”. “On January 22, 2024, they had gone to attend signalling point issues which had failed during the evening. They were run over by a passing local train between Vasai Road and Naigaon on UP slow line at km 49/18 and died on the spot at 20.55 hrs. Senior railway officials rushed to the site and extended all assistance to the family members of the deceased. An amount of ₹55,000 has been paid to the family of each deceased employee for immediate relief,” the statement noted.

WR said that ex-gratia payment and other payments would be disbursed to the deceased’s families within 15 days. The families of Sachin Wankhede and Somnath Lambutre would receive around ₹40 lakh each while the family of Vasu Mitra would receive around ₹1.24 crore. Settlement dues (DCRG, GIS, leave encashment) of the deceased employees, which are being processed, would be paid to the families soon, WR’s statement said.