Nearly 53 pc rail accidents due to derailments: Govt

The government today said that of a total of 586 rail accidents in last five years, nearly 53 per cent were due to derailments.
Quoting a report by the NITI Ayog, Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain informed Lok Sabha that in last five years (2012-13 to 2016-17) out of a total of 1,011 casualties, 347 occurred due to derailments, 67 in MLC accidents and 449 in UMLC accidents.
These together amounted to 85 per cent of the total casualties.
He said out of a total of 586 accidents, 308 were due to derailments, 21 occurred on Manned Level Crossings (MLCs) and 199 on Unmanned Level Crossings (UMLCs). They together accounted for 90 per cent of the total accidents.

The total number of those injured in the said period were 1,634. As many as 944 were injured in derailments, 58 in MLC accidents and 342 in UMLC accidents which amount to 82 per cent of those injured.
The minister also made a reference to the High Level Safety Review Committee (HLSRC) headed by Anil Kakodkar that had suggested various measures for improving rail safety, including setting up of a Railway Safety Authority (RSA).
"A majority of the practical measures suggested by the Kakodkar committee have been implemented. However, there is no decision to create a railway safety authority.
"An independent institution namely the Commission of Railway Safety already functions under the Ministry of Civil Aviation. It discharges the functions of review/approval of safety aspects in railways independently," Gohain said.