India’s unending nightmare on tracks continues with Wednesday’s derailment on Konkan Railways. After almost every tragedy, two things happen: the Railway Minister or his officials first allege sabotage and then set up an inquiry commission. Laloo Prasad Yadav, who never stopped criticising his predecessor Nitish Kumar for the spate of tragedies in his regime, has learnt fast. On Wednesday he visited the accident site, and set up a probe. But what happens to all these inquiry commissions? AUGUST 20, 1995, FIROZABAD: Purushottam Express rams into the stationary Kalindi Express, killing 420 passengers. Commissioner Railway Safety (CRS) conducts an inquiry and blames faulty signallingRecommendation: Distance between signals should be reducedStatus: Implemented NOVEMBER 26, 1998, KHANNA: Jammu-Sealdah Express rams into derailed coaches of the Golden Temple Frontier Mail, killing 220 passengers. Judicial inquiry is ordered, to be conducted by Justice G C GargRecommendation: Inquiry, supposed to be completed in four months, still on after six yearsStatus: Railways is losing Rs 2 lakh every month just on the probe AUGUST 2, 1999, GAISAL: Brahmaputra Mail collides head on with Awadh-Assam Express, killing 310 passengersRecommendation: Justice G.N. Ray committee blames railway staff, including the Divisional Railway Manager (Katihar), Divisional Signals Engineer and Senior Divisional Safety OfficerStatus: No action taken against the erring officials DECEMBER 2, 2000, SARAI BANJARA: Amritsar Mail collides with a derailed goods train, killing 52 people. Inquiry under Justice Sagir Ahmad orderedRecommendation: Ahmad yet to submit his report. However, CRS had hinted at defective coupling, and said the accident could have been averted if goods train’s flasher lights been switched onStatus: Report awaited JUNE 22, 2001, KOZHIKODE: Six coaches of Mangalore-Madras Mail fall into Kadalundi river as one of the piers of the bridge collapses, killing 51Recommendation: CRS conducts inquiry, blames condition of the bridge, points out a report of Bridge Rehabilitation Committee, 1989, to replace old bridges, including this one, was ignoredStatus: The Railways are making a parallel bridge SEPTEMBER 9, 2002, RAFIGANJ: Howrah-Delhi Rajdhani derails and plunges into Dhave river in Aurangabad, killing over 100 peopleRecommendation: The CRS probe attributes the accident to sabotage and removal of track by unknown persons, suggests better patrollingStatus: Anybody’s guess MAY 15, 2003, LADOWAL: Three coaches of Frontier Mail catch fire, killing 38 peopleRecommendation: The CRS does everything, including simulate the fire, to conclude that the accident was caused by an unknown person who might have been carrying some incendiary itemStatus: Railways point out passengers have always been banned from carrying any incendiary item JUNE 22, 2003, KONKAN: Karwar-Mumbai Holiday Special derails after hitting a boulder, killing 53 passengersRecommendation: The CRS blames landslide, asking for safety measures, including netting of mountain cutting more than 10 m highStatus: Done but proves inadequate, as a repeat incident, almost exactly one year later, kills 14 on the same stretch on June 16, 2004 JULY 3, 2003, WARANGAL: An engine and two coaches of the Golconda Express jump the track and fall off a road-over-bridge, killing 18Recommendation: The CRS inquiry observes that some lives could have been saved if the Accident Relief Train had reached the site sooner and also, if it had been equipped with gas cutters. The accident is immortalised by the face of a railway employee—stuck inside a coach—who bleeds to death.Status: Railways are in the process of modernising their ARTs and equipping them with gas cutters and other instruments
