New Delhi: The Odisha practice accident, one of many worst-ever in India, has put the highlight on the security of rail journey, with Opposition leaders elevating questions on why the trains concerned weren’t outfitted with the indigenously developed anti-collision ‘Kavach’ system, which was introduced by the Modi authorities with numerous fanfare final yr.
The Railway Ministry clarified Saturday that Kavach had not but been applied on the route of the accident.
As many as 288 folks have died within the accident, which concerned the Coromandel Shalimar Categorical, the Yeswantpur-Howrah Superfast and a items practice. The accident reportedly occurred when a couple of coaches of the Coromandel Categorical derailed and hit the parked items practice, and the Yeswantpur-Howrah Superfast then crashed into the wreckage.
The Kavach Practice Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) works by deploying the automated brakes when two trains appear headed for a collision, stopping them of their tracks at a secure distance.
In response to the newest authorities knowledge out there, Kavach know-how — developed at a value of Rs 22 crore — covers solely about 2.13 p.c or approx. 1,450 kilometres of India’s 68,000-kilometre railway community.
Whereas Kavach was launched final yr, the Indian Railways had been engaged on a TCAS since 2012. The proof-of-concept trials occurred in October-November 2012 after the specs had been firmed up by the railways’ Analysis Design and Requirements Organisation.
As of March 2020, TCAS was put in on Lingampally-Vikarabad-Wadi and Vikarabad-Bidar sections (250-km route) within the South Central Railway zone, which largely covers Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra. The system was beneath implementation on a 1,199-km route in the identical zone on the time, in response to a authorities launch.
In March 2022, the profitable trial of Kavach was introduced at an occasion the place Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and the then Railway Board chairman and CEO had been on onboard two trains transferring in the direction of one another on the identical monitor.
The ‘Kavach’ system initiated the automated braking system, and halted the locomotives 380 metres aside through the trial.
Additionally Learn: A minimum of 288 killed, 900 injured in Odisha triple practice collision, rescue groups racing towards time
What Oppn is saying
Opposition leaders have taken to Twitter to criticise the federal government over the accident, with West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee — who can be a former railway minister — saying the presence of Kavach on the trains concerned might have averted the tragedy.
In the meantime, Telangana minister Ok.T. Rama Rao, a member of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi, questioned what occurred to the “anti- collision units”.
Aghast on the horrific practice collision that killed 233 passengers and left many extra wounded
My heartfelt condolences & prayers to all of the households of the passengers who misplaced their family members and people affected 🙏
What occurred to the Anti Collision Units ? That is certainly a…
— KTR (@KTRBRS) June 3, 2023
The Congress’ social media handles slammed the federal government for not guaranteeing that the collision system was in place.
ये पोस्टर रेलवे द्वारा जारी कर गाजे-बाजे के साथ प्रधानमंत्री को कवच का Credit score दिया गया था।
जब एक नही, दो नही, 3-3 ट्रेनें आपस में टकराई, तब ‘Bharat Ka Kavach’ कहाँ था? pic.twitter.com/m8CH6zIroR
— Congress, Minority Division (@INCMinority) June 3, 2023
3-3 ट्रेनों की टक्कर,
300 के आसपास मौतें,
करीब 1000 लोग घायल– Kavach System कहाँ था?
– इन दर्दनाक मौतों के लिए कौन जिम्मेदार? pic.twitter.com/J40S2QQqmG— Indian Youth Congress (@IYC) June 3, 2023
TMC spokesperson Saket Gokhale noted that the TCAS was developed in 2011-12, when Mamata was the railway minister, and accused the Modi authorities of constructing “no progress” on its deployment.
How does Kavach work?
In response to the Railway Ministry’s Rail Mitra, the data portal for practice passengers, Kavach is a ‘Made-in-India’ system outfitted with a sign that makes use of ultra-high radio frequencies to manage the practice brakes robotically.
It additionally alerts practice pilots or drivers to keep away from accidents and constantly updates a practice’s motion data.
“The second it senses any hazard, its computerized brake perform stops the practice. It usually occurs when the practice pilots fail to reply randomly or within the lack of clear visibility throughout dense fog that causes a serious rail accident,” states the web site.
Kavach particularly gained recognition when Vande Bharat 2.0 got here to be outfitted with it to stop the numerous cattle accidents that had been being reported. All of the Vande Bharat trains inaugurated since September final yr have Kavach know-how put in in them.
At the moment, Kavach is being applied alongside the Delhi-Mumbai route, together with the Vadodara-Ahmedabad part, and Delhi-Howrah route, together with the Kanpur-Lucknow part, protecting almost 3,000 km, in response to the railways, which added that deployment on these routes was sanctioned particularly as a result of they’re high-density and extremely utilised routes.
“The institution of Kavach will depend on numerous elements like trials on a mixture of assorted rolling shares, various monitor circumstances, analysis by the impartial security assessor (ISA), due to this fact, it isn’t possible to repair particular timeline,” the ministry had mentioned in Parliament in March.
To make sure that security of the passengers and maintenance of railways property is accorded prime precedence by Indian Railways, the Union authorities elevated the allocation of funds for safety-related works by 22.83 p.c — from Rs 26,458 crore in 2022-2023 to Rs 32,500 crore in Price range 2023-24.
An knowledgeable related to Vande Bharat advised India Right this moment that Kavach couldn’t have averted Friday’s accident.
Additionally Learn: World leaders specific grief at deaths in Odisha practice crash