Parliamentary Committee Summons Railway Officials Over Accidents, Passenger Safety Concerns

New Delhi: The Parliamentary Committee on Railways has summoned officials from the Ministry of Railways in connection with ongoing concerns about safety and security in Indian rail operations. Considering the recent spate of accidents and incidents, the committee has demanded that representatives from the Railway Board present a detailed report on the steps being taken to ensure the safety of passengers.

Today’s session focuses primarily on a briefing by the Ministry on the topic 'Ensuring Safety in Indian Rail Operations'. This meeting comes at a critical time when rail safety is a national concern, following multiple alarming incidents in the railway sector.

The committee, consisting of around 30 members from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, is expected to raise several important issues. However, the safety and security of passengers, particularly in light of the recent accidents, remains the top priority. The committee chairman has requested a comprehensive presentation from the Railway Board, detailing the measures taken to prevent future incidents and improve the overall safety of railway operations across the country.

The outcome of today’s meeting is anticipated to result in stricter oversight and possibly enhancing safety protocols within the Indian Railways system.

In the recent past, multiple train derailments have taken place besides some serious collisions in which multiple lives were lost. On October 11, at least 13 coaches of the Bagmati Express derailed after a collision with a stationary goods train in Tamil Nadu injuring 19 passengers. In August, 22 coaches of the Sabarmati Express derailed in Uttar Pradesh. At least two people were killed in July when 18 coaches of the Howrah–Mumbai CSMT Mail derailed near Jamshedpur in Jharkhand. Four people had died when the Dibrugarh–Chandigarh Express derailed near Jhilahi in Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh in July this year. 12 coaches of the In June this year, at least 11 people were killed when a freight train hit the rear of the Kanchanjungha Express in West Bengal.