The railways stated this information will likely be given to Niti Aayog. (Representational)
New Delhi:
The Railways Thursday stated round 29,000-30,000 deaths occurred as a consequence of “trespassing and different untoward incidents” on its premises previously three years, after the Niti Aayog raised questions over its zero fatality declare within the final fiscal.
Railway Board Chairman VK Yadav’s clarification got here days after Niti Ayog CEO Amitabh Kant took observe of the Railways’ declare and questioned the reliability of the information, stating that over hundreds deaths happen in Mumbai suburban part yearly. “I wish to draw your consideration to the truth that many of those deaths are brought on by folks falling overboard or from the platform on to the tracks. Therefore, this shouldn’t be excluded from the purview of RRSK (Rashtriya Rail Sanrakshan Kosh). It needs to be ideally recorded formally,” the federal government assume tank CEO stated in a letter to Mr Yadav.
In a press briefing Thursday, Mr Yadav stated the Railways retains a document of all of the deaths that happen on its premises below three separate heads — consequential accidents, trespassing and untoward incidents.
“It’s true that consequential accidents had been certainly zero in 2019-2020 and thus far this 12 months as properly,” he stated.
“We hold information of deaths as a consequence of trespassing like when folks come on the tracks and are run over or folks standing on the footboard of trains or hanging out of trains. Within the final three years, round 29,000 to 30,000 folks have misplaced their lives as a consequence of both trespassing or untoward incidents.”
This information will likely be given to Niti Aayog, he stated.
In actual fact, after the 2018 tragedy in Amritsar whereby 59 folks had been killed and over 100 injured after being run over by two passenger trains whereas they had been watching Dussehra celebrations, the Railways stated that it was a case of trespassing.
Mr Yadav additionally stated that efforts are on to make sure that deaths as a consequence of such incidents too cut back, and “over time they’ve”.
After Mr Yadav’s briefing, the Railways issued a press release saying that whereas greater than eight billion passengers travelled by trains final 12 months, there have been zero passenger fatalities as a consequence of accidents.
“This has been achieved with loads of efforts on the a part of the Railways. Whereas the deaths of passengers as a consequence of railway accidents has develop into Zero, unlucky Casualties do happen as a consequence of trespassing and untoward incidents like falling from trains and that as a consequence of negligence or carelessness on the a part of passengers/public.
“These are incidents on which the Railways have little or no management. Efforts are on to sensitise the general public on avoiding such conditions,” it stated.
(Apart from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is printed from a syndicated feed.)
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