on balasore train accident crs report has been handed over, but the Railways have decided not to make the report public to ensure that there is no influence or interference with the CBI investigation into the accident. A railway official told Hindustan Times that the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), probing the Balasore train accident, submitted its report on Thursday, in which he pointed out the lapses of the Signaling and Telecommunication Department (S&T).
Lapses have been found on the part of some employees as well as some departments in-charge of the relay room
“The report has been submitted and it has found lapses on the part of some staff in-charge of the relay room as well as some departments,” the official said. Asked if the report indicated any other involvement, the official said, “If any, it will only be probed by the CBI.” Besides the CRS probe, the CBI is also probing the incident.
The report has not been made public
However, officials clarified that the Railways has decided not to make the report public to ensure that there is no influence or interference in the CBI probe into the accident. “We (CBI) will not disclose the CRS report due to another ongoing independent investigation. It is to be ensured that this report does not affect or interfere with other reports in any way. We will take cognizance of both the reports and make a holistic assessment of the incident and then take whatever steps are necessary,” said another railway official.
Did the accident happen like this?
Usually, such reports reach the top officials so that the recommendations made by the CRS are strictly noted and implemented. Officials said the CRS usually files an interim report before the final report within a week of any accident, but this time, it has submitted just one report. Days before the report was submitted, the Railway Board ordered double-locking arrangements for all its relay rooms with train control mechanisms, relay huts (signaling and telecommunication equipment for level-crossings), and point and track circuit signals . It indicated in a letter that ‘interfering with signalling’ ‘access to the relay room’ was one of the reasons why the Coromandel Express took the loop line at Balasore and collided with a stationary goods train. The aim was to make access to the relay rooms tamper-proof, which could be achieved by a double locking system that would not allow access to the rooms.
Location box rigged to get ‘Green Signal’!
The officials also said that the station manager had received a disconnection memo (to stop the interlocking system and start work) and a reconnection memo (reconnection of the system indicating completion of work). “However, in reality, the technician bypassed the system as the work was not completed and he manipulated the location box to get the ‘green signal’ for the Coromandel Express,” the official concluded.
On June 2, an accident happened in Balasore, Odisha, 290 people died
Let us tell you, on June 2, a deadly triple-train accident involving the Coromandel Express, Yesvantpur-Howrah Express and a goods train loaded with iron ore occurred at Bahanaga Bazar railway station in Odisha’s Balasore district, resulting in the death of at least 290 people. And 1,200 passengers were injured.
Video: ‘When I opened my eyes, I saw someone’s hand, but not someone…’, know the story of the Odisha train accident in the words of eyewitnesses
