E Mullah الیکٹرونک مُلا: Who is the real culprit in railway accidents in Pakistan? .comment-link {margin-left:.6em;}

Sunday, March 06, 2005

Who is the real culprit in railway accidents in Pakistan?

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I read the news of train derailment in Pakistan and applaude the Railways Minister Mina Haider's swift action to correct the so called situation that has arisen after the accident by firing railway employees, Bravo!

I don't know why the government thinks that firing a few people here and there and calling in an inquiry committee will correct the problems that have plagued the railway system for years.

I just ask one thing: How much money the government of Pakistan or any other railway minister has spent on the modernization of Pakistan Railways since 1947. These railway tracks were built by British India government and after more than 50 years of independence none of the government has done anything to improve the state of Railways in Pakistan. I think the people at top should be the one to resign first.

Pakistan railway employees had been using the push cart rail trolleys (similar to one shown in the link) for rail track inspection purposes. The push cart trolleys resembled more like a donkey cart or a river raft. Somehow, someone got an innovative idea and only a few trolleys were installed lately with a small motor and generator which were given to bigger city railway sections only. What do we expect from a scantly armored Pakistan Railway? I am surprised that people still travel on the roof tops of railway trains in Pakistan. Who should be fired for all these ills when someone fells from a roof top of moving railway train? Alas! our Ministers, Prime ministers, and Presidents rarely travel on trains and if they do then on those trains security is so tight that they don't let anyone travel on the roof top. So how would they know the plight of an ordinary man and Pakistan railways.

In America and elsewhere I have seen road pickup trucks for railway maintenance purposes that are equipped with gear that they can be run on railway tracks and roads both. They can be quickly deployed on roads and rail tracks both. The engineers and staffs move fast and quickly and visit tracks for regular checkup and maintenance. How many such road-railway trucks the government of Pakistan has purchased? How many additional tracks the government has installed? The government pays more attention to pseudo development rather than real development.

I suggest that each subdivision should get at least one mechanised maintenance truck that can run on roads and rail tracks both.

Six railways officers suspended in Narowal train mishap
(News Story: Updated at 1520 PST) SHEIKHUPURA:
Federal Minister for Railways Mina Shamim Haider Saturday suspended six employees of railways department including Divisional Engineer Railways Lahore, Assistant Engineer Railways Lahore and local Inspector Railways for showing negligence.

The minister said that he has also ordered to submit a report regarding 211-Up passenger train derailment in which five persons were killed while sixteen others received injuries near Sri Rampura Babkwali Railway Station.

He said that Rs one lakh would be given to the heirs of the deceased as compensation and Rs fifty thousand to the injured. He said that the injured passengers would be provided free medical treatment.

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