With several suspected attempts to derail trains in recent months, the Indian Railways has launched an in-depth investigation and a slew of measures to control the situation, sources told CNN-News18 on Wednesday. Based on the information initially accessed, the possible involvement of a foreign hand cannot be ruled out, they said.
According to the sources, a thorough investigation is underway and the kind of comments that have been made on the Railways and the allegations being made domestically about the vulnerability of the train network point to many possibilities.
The railway establishment is speaking to director generals of police across the country in view of the string of mishaps over the last year and a half and also readying a foolproof security system for the future, said the sources.
Railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed CNN-News18 about a pilot project conducted successfully to ensure more safety on the country’s train network. The department plans to install eight cameras on each train, covering the front of the engine, the side of the engine, and also various coaches. This, the minister said, will not only ensure that the visuals help alert about any danger on the tracks in advance but will also help the network keep track of trains better, in case more than one is travelling on the same line.
“The pilot project has been successfully run through the entire country, and we are looking to roll out the project nationally over the next three months. The entire implementation will take close to a year. The cost of the cameras and the project is currently estimated to be close to Rs 1,200 crore,” Vaishnaw said.
Railways has said that several cases of suspected sabotage, including the one in Kanpur, are being examined at multiple levels, with the involvement of the National Investigation Agency. The Kalindi Express, which was travelling from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh to Bhiwani in Haryana, hit an LPG cylinder placed on the tracks in Kanpur’s Shivrajpur on Sunday before coming to a halt. No passengers were injured in the incident.
Railways ministry sources indicated that at least 24 episodes of suspected train sabotage have been recorded in various parts of the country in recent months, including the latest one in Kanpur.
The Indian Railways is the largest network of trains that connects the length and breadth of the nation and is the most widely used transportation service in the country.
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