CPI-M flays Centre for 'abysmal' railway safety standards

Flaying the Centre over the "abysmal safety standards" of the Railways, the CPI-M on Sunday called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet to own the responsibility for the Kanpur train disaster in which over 100 persons were killed.

Condoling the loss of lives in the accident, the Communist Party of India-Marxist said in a statement that the Modi government was more concerned with introducing bullet trains than addressing railway safety issues.

"Though railway accidents are happening with alarming regularity, the Railway Ministry and the government are yet to awake from their slumber and address the dire conditions of the railways and the abysmal safety standards," the CPI-M said

"Thousands of vacancies are lying unfilled in the railways, leading to shortage of staff and increased working hours and burdens on the existing staff. Instead of giving priority to railway safety and upgrading safety equipment, signalling and tracks, the government seems to be more concerned with introducing bullets trains."

"It is very unfortunate that neither the Prime Minister, the Railway Minister nor the cabinet collectively is willing to take responsibility for such a big accident that has led to the loss of so many lives," the party said.

It also demanded that the report of the probe ordered into Sunday's disaster be made public.

More than 100 people were killed and around 150 were injured when 14 coaches of the Indore-Patna Express derailed near Pukhraya station, about 60 km from Kanpur city, on Sunday night.

--IANS

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