The Hindu Business Line : Govt increases expenditure on safety provisions

IN the backdrop of the recent Matsyagandha Express accident, the Government has increased its total expenditure on railway safety to Rs 2,933 crore in 2004-05 as compared to Rs 2,350.66 crore in 2003-04.

As a percentage of total outlay, the Government plans to spend 20 per cent on ensuring safety of passengers this year, whereas in 2003-04, it had spent around 17 per cent on the same.

The additional Rs 508 crore in 2004-05 being spent on railway safety shows a 21.6 per cent growth as compared to 2003-04. Interestingly, in 2003-04, there was a decline of Rs 135 crore as compared to the amount spent in 2002-03.

Now a look at what the Railways have implemented on ground to ensure a safe ride for their passengers. By March 2004, 54 per cent of track was renewed out of the total target of 16,538 km to be covered by March 2007. Old signalling systems have been replaced with modern signalling at 441 stations. The replacement process is on at 1,053 stations.

Forty-three per cent of 16,549 manned level crossings have been interlocked with signals. Interlocked level crossings ensure higher safety wherein the train doesn't get a green signal till all entry to the railway line is stopped.

The Ministry is also provisioning devices, which will warn road users and gatemen of the approaching train by emitting a siren and through flashlights at 90 level crossings.

Meanwhile, the number of "consequential train accidents" have been declining steadily since last four years, the Railways Minister, Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav, said.

They are down to 325 in 2003-04 from 351 in 2002-03. In 2001-02, there were 414 railway mishaps as compared to 473 in 2000-01.

It may be recalled that Government had set up a Special Railway Safety Fund in 2001-02 with a corpus of Rs 17,000 crore, which is to be used by March 2007. Out of the corpus, around Rs 6,271 crore has been spent till March 2004. While the Finance Ministry spent a total of Rs 3,950 crore; the Railways had spent Rs 2,321.25 crore towards the safety fund.

Out of the total outlay of Rs 2,933 crore this year, while the Finance Ministry is expected to account for Rs 2,075 crore, the Railways hope to garner Rs 750 crore through the safety surcharge.

Other safety initiatives include an `electronic verification' system, developed jointly by the Ministry of Railways and Department of Science and Technology (DST), to check the arrival of the entire train at stations. Railways have also provisioned Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS), which warns a driver of an approaching signal at danger.

TPWS, currently being provisioned across 280 track km, ensures brakes are applied automatically if the driver fails to react. Anti-Collision devices are being provisioned on 1700 route km of North East Frontier Railway.

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