Safety first
The tragic loss of precious lives in the terrible train accident near Kanpur once again raises serious questions over the implementation of safety measures in the railways. The frightening frequency of accidents is a testimony to the fact that the railways is plagued by poor infrastructure. Old tracks are the root cause of derailment, along with crumbling rolling stock which needs immediate replacement. The conventional ICF-design coaches are not crash-worthy and topple proof, compared to the state-of-the-art LHB coaches. Hence the former needs to be replaced. The complete safety overhaul will cost over Rs 1,00,000 crore. The priority of the government should be to upgrade the existing infrastructure on a war footing rather than spending precious funds on introducing high-speed bullet trains.
Saurabh Sambyal, Panchkula
What bullet trains?
The early morning train accident is a colossal tragedy. The toll may rise as many of the injured are critical. If the track was fractured, as is suspected, it indicates shoddy working by those responsible for its maintenance. The railways is running on primitive and ill-maintained infrastructure. Vote-bank politics has prevented successive railway ministers from increasing fares, thereby compromising on safety. To boast of running bullet trains on such unreliable and weak sub-structure is nothing short of a crime.
MK BAJAJ, Zirakpur
Equip with sensors
After one of the most fatal train mishaps of our country, the Railway Ministry needs to understand that instead of expanding the rail network, it should first ensure the quality and safety of existing track and coaches. Trains should be equipped with sensors which can detect cracks in the track from within a two-km radius. Afterall, one can bear the inconvenience of travelling everywhere without railway services, but cannot bear the pain of losing loved ones in such ghastly accidents.
HIMANSHU JASWAL, Hamirpur
Poor disaster management
The likes of Lal Bahadur Shastri, who resigned as the union railway minister after a rail accident, were politicians of calibre and integrity. A tragic accident happens in UP and a big political rally continues in that state, with the PM going ahead with his usual attacks on the Opposition while lauding his government’s achievements. It is a poll-bound state and pursuit of political power must continue unhindered. It is a different matter how such a huge rally can be arranged when the nation is subjected to cash crunch. Despite many relief measures, relatives of many missing passengers could not be provided with information regarding their dear ones till late in the night. Disaster management in the country requires a complete overhaul. Ministers, who have expertise only in politics, must avoid visiting mishap sites because it only hampers rescue and relief operations.
HL Sharma, Amritsar
Utter neglect
The train tragedy has once again put the spotlight on the railways’ utter neglect of maintenance and upgrade of its infrastructure, particularly ageing track. Why can’t we avert frequent accidents? The railways, which serves millions of passengers every day, continues to have a poor safety record, with thousands of people dying in accidents every year. There are a myriad of issues — limited expansion, same track for passenger and freight trains, low-speed trains, safety, corruption and cross-subsidisation of fare by increasing freight rates, etc. Should bullet trains be a priority or the safety of millions of passengers? Governance is not something to be simply read in books, rather it is something to be experienced by people by improving public service delivery.
Akash Kumar, Jagraon
Forget bullet train
Refer to the article ‘Modi’s great gamble’ (November 19), we are facing the music of demonetisation with the hope that it will usher in a new dawn for the poor. But the introduction of the Rs 2,000 note and the Rs 1 lakh crore Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project have put a question mark on the government’s intention. Spending such an astronomical amount of money on bullet train is akin to wearing a rag shirt with gold buttons. India, where 194.6 million people go hungry every day, is placed behind Bangladesh, Nigeria and Rwanda in the Global Hunger Index 2016. The government must avoid the trap of going overboard when 39 per cent of our children are stunted and 35.6 per cent of the population illiterate. A majority of Indians will have to bite the bullet for bullet trains. The government needs to be more sensitive while dealing with people who press the EVM button.
Sujit De, Kolkata
Tough for farmers
We are aware of the financial crisis facing agriculturists for the last three years. With God’s grace, this year’s kharif season turned out to be a boon for crop growers, be it paddy or cotton. The yield, procurement and rates offered were what the farmer wanted. But their plight continues as they have to stand in long queues to withdraw money, that too when the sowing of rabi crop has picked up. They are poor and don’t have personal links to entertain them even after working hours and give the maximum possible amount possible. I hope demonetisation is successful and not just a Pyrrhic victory.
Vishal Munjal, Abohar
Open defecation free?
Chandigarh was declared open defecation free on September 28. A team from the Union Ministry of Health gave it a thumbs-up. I was walking near the bus-stand outside the PGI and happened to notice the ground reality. The stench was unbearable and there were flies all around the place. The sight was disheartening. The Chandigarh Administration should take note of the situation. Merely scaring way miscreants using the police would only push them to more discreet locations. Public toilets should be constructed near the bus-stand and kept open for public use. Only then can any action be taken against those going out in the open to defecate.
Jeevandeep Singh, chandigarh
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