Following the Gyaneshwari Express tragedy, night train services were discontinued in hazardous areas in Naxal-hit states. Reportedly, this moratorium - particularly in some sections of the South-Eastern Railway - has been extended on passenger trains for the second time till June 10.Since the railway minister seems to doubt Maoists caused the derailment at all, there's policy confusion at the top. The Naxal menace is being underplayed even as it's pitched as the reason to suspend night runs. More, the Maoist threat isn't likely to vanish soon. What's the guarantee the deadline won't be pushed ahead yet again?
The authorities create the impression of abdicating responsibility on undertaking an urgent security and intelligence beef-up. This path of least resistance can only embolden trouble-makers.
A sizeable length of Indian Railways' 64,000 km network runs through Maoist-hit areas. How long can even routine track inspections be neglected, by citing lack of police escorts? It's about time the authorities took up a standing committee's suggestions to augment the Railway Protection Force. Also, as many as 80,000 safety related posts ^ including of gangmen who maintain tracks - are unfilled.
Nor can upgrade of sabotage-related early warning and detection systems be put off. With computerised track signalling, the Railways can have a better safety record.
Stalled service delivery can't be a policy response to criminal acts. Perpetrators of violence aim at creating a climate of fear that immobilises train travel, the lifeline of cross-country transportation, at great economic cost to the nation. To win against them, it's essential to get the message across that the nation can't be terrorised into submission. That means keeping essential services going while ensuring better protection of their users.
Courtesy : http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
Courtesy : http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment