The train accident in Balasore (Odisha) is one of the worst in railway history, and the worst since the 1980s. According to preliminary investigations, the accident occurred due to an error in the electronic signalling system, killing 275 people and injuring over 1100 others. It is unclear whether the error was human or technical, and sabotage is not ruled out. The shocked and politically embarrassed Prime Minister Narendra Modi immediately visited the disaster zone to oversee operations to save remaining lives and transport severely injured people to hospitals, as well as to assess the causes and prevent future disasters. Certainly, the Prime Minister couldn't get his mind off how damaging it would be for him and the BJP, which he is leading and hoping to launch into a third term in 2024.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishanaw, who was confronted at the accident site by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, said there was no time for politics. As the investigation continues, several theories, including sabotage, have emerged. In the aftermath of the triple train crash in Odisha's Balasore, which killed 275 people and injured over 1000, opposition leaders demanded the resignation of rail minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, citing the examples of Lal Bahadur Shashtri and Nitish Kumar, a new political row erupted over what caused the triple train collision. They predicted that the Odisha triple train collision would be dubbed as an “act of God,” and the opposition pushed for its demands for Ashwini Vaishnaw's resignation.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is currently in the United States, has called for the resignation of the Union Railways Minister and criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government for failing to accept responsibility for the worst disasters in Indian Railways history.
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said the crash involving the Coromandel Express, the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, and a goods train would soon become a ‘act of God,' referring to an argument made in Gujarat's Morbi bridge collapse.
The electronic interlocking system for signalling railway traffic is a modern system that was previously thought to be error proof. It is an improvement over the previous un-interlocked signalling system. The current system is software-based, so any changes can be made without requiring any wiring changes. As a result, the error in this system is a major concern because it controls all railway traffic in India.
That is why the Indian Railways has ordered a high-level investigation to determine the true cause of the error that resulted in this fatal accident. On Sunday, it was suggested that it was not a case of system error, but rather of sabotage. As a result, India Railways has requested a CBI investigation into the accident, indicating that the electronic interlocking system may have been tampered with.
It should also be noted that India has developed its own train protection system known as “Kavach.” However, in this day and age of cut and commission, the system was not installed, and other systems were purchased and installed in its place. According to railway officials, Kavach was also unavailable along the accident route.
CAG also highlighted negligence in Indian Railways, reporting that nearly half of the total required number of track inspections were not completed between 2017 and 2021. The percentage of non-inspection ranged from 30% to 100%. “Non-deployment of TRCs over planned sections, as per schedule, resulted in non-checking of track parameters, with implications for overall safety of train operations, including derailments,” it added.
