"In Touch With NIA, Top Cops...": Railway Minister On Threats To Rail Safety

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw today said the government will take strong action against anyone caught throwing stones on trains. The Union Minister's comments come a day after stones were thrown at Mahabodhi Express as it was approaching Mirzapur railway station.

"The whole railway staff is fully aware and in touch with the state governments, including state DGPs and Home Secretaries and the NIA. Strict action will be taken against anyone involved in such incidents," Mr Vaishnaw told reporters today, referring to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

On Saturday, panic spread among people around Kim railway station in Gujarat's Surat when it was found that several critical components had been removed from railway tracks, followed immediately by relief that the sabotage had been caught just before a train was supposed to pass over the affected rail lines.

It has emerged that the trackman and two other railway employees had carried out the sabotage themselves, risking lives to get social media fame, promotions and a reward, and to ensure the continuance of night duty for trackmen, which gets them the next day off. The night duty was supposed to be discontinued after monsoon.

The railways also for the first time deployed a pilot project called the Rail Rakshak Dal. As part of the project, the railways launched this initiative in the North Western Railway (NWR) zone. Rail Rakshak Dal is capable of reaching accident sites promptly and conducting rescue operations.

Mr Vaishnaw also highlighted the significant advancements in railway security, including the introduction of the Kavach system.

"For the security of railways, Kavach is a very big development. On July 16, 2024, the Kavach 4.0 version was finalised by the RDSO, and its first installation was completed from Sawai Madhopur to Kota and Nagda," he said.

"I have come to review it, and I will also assess the first roof plaza at Jaipur-Gandhinagar station," Mr Vaishnaw said.

Kavach is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system. It is a highly technology-intensive system, which requires safety certification of the highest order. Kavach aids loco pilot in trains running within specified speed limits by automatic application of brakes in case the loco pilot fails to do so.

With inputs from ANI