It is now almost clear that ‘technical fault’ was not the cause of the Odisha train accident. But, the signal system experienced interference, leading to 288 deaths. The CBI investigation must provide the facts to the public and investigate who interfered with the electronic interlocking system.
New facts in the Odisha train accident case have emerged. It is now virtually clear that ‘technical fault’ was not the cause of the disaster. The signal system experienced some ‘interference’. Due to a last-minute modification in the intended route of the Coromandel Express, 288 individuals lost their lives. Instead of hitting the main line, it went via the loop line and struck a halted train carrying 6,000 tonnes of iron ores at a speed of 128 kph.
Two coaches of the Bengaluru-Howrah Express were derailed after some carriages from the opposite line toppled. The CBI has already filed a FIR and begun its investigation, however a number of political parties have questioned the necessity of the CBI’s investigation. Congress said that by directing a CBI investigation, the administration is attempting to conceal the facts.
It said that the Commissioner for Railway Safety typically looks into railroad incidents. Akhilesh Yadav, the head of the Samajwadi Party, Mamata Banerjee, and Congress leader Digvijaya Singh have all questioned the necessity of the CBI investigation. H D Deve Gowda, the leader of the Janata Dal (S) and a former prime minister, commended Ashwini Vaishnaw for working tirelessly for three days to finish the repair work at the accident site.
To doubt the CBI investigation, he claimed, was improper. I believe that it is irrelevant who is conducting the investigation. Whoever conducts the investigation must provide the facts to the public. It has to be looked into who interfered with the electronic interlocking system, which is thought to be failsafe and error-free, and led the Coromandel Express loco pilot astray. All signals illuminate red when there is a signal system malfunction, and trains are stopped.
So where and how did the mistake occur? Who made changes to the electrical interlocking mechanism? People hold a variety of views. Some claimed that Coromandel Express received a green signal after manually changing the location box. Some claimed that the interlocking system was intentionally altered as part of a plot.Â
Finding the reason why a reliable system sent the incorrect signal has become extremely difficult for CBI because everyone has their own theories and conclusions. Was it a computer error or human error? Or was the interlocking altered as a result of a plot? It would be preferable, and I believe Deve Gowda is correct, that politicians avoid engaging in games until all of these problems are answered.
The IIT Roorkee specialists committee report, which had been anticipated for 14 months before the under-construction bridge collapsed in Bhagalpur, Bihar, on Sunday, was delivered within 36 hours. The Bihar government has ordered that the Ganga river’s debris be cleared within 15 days, issued show-cause notices to the MDs of Bihar Pul Nirman Nigam Ltd and S P Singla Construction business, and suspended an executive engineer.
The Additional Chief Secretary warned that the business would be banned. Questions will be asked when a bridge costing Rs 1700 crore falls like a deck of cards, and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will have to respond. He’s previously admitted that he was aware of significant building flaws. Why wasn’t anything done, is the question that emerges.
Government officials awaited the IIT specialists’ findings, according to Tejashwi Yadav. The next query is: if the report was anticipated, why was authorization granted to resume bridge construction? The biggest puzzle is how the report from the IIT specialists, which had been anticipated for 14 months, was submitted in a single day. There would be doubts about Nitish Kumar’s government’s objectives unless these issues are answered.
Tejaswi Yadav and Nitish will both have to deal with political fallout. In the meantime, concerns regarding the same S P Singla construction business, which is involved in 34 projects, have been raised in Maharashtra. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation awarded the business the contract in December 2021 to construct the 12 km long Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR) project, which costs Rs 6,000 crore and includes a flyover, while Uddhav Thackeray was the chief minister.
The NCP, Congress, and BJP have now called for an investigation of the project’s quality and the whole tendering procedure. Ravi Raja, the head of the Congress, has urged that the contract be terminated and the business be put on a blacklist. Arvind Sawant, the head of the Shiv Sena (UT), said that Eknath Shinde, who is currently the minister of urban development, was in charge of the department when the Uddhav Thackeray government awarded the contract to that business. He stated concerns should be brought up with the current CM, Eknath Shinde.
The Odisha train accident case has revealed that ‘technical fault’ was not the cause of the disaster, but the signal system experienced interference. A last-minute modification in the intended route of the Coromandel Express led to 288 deaths and two coaches of the Bengaluru-Howrah Express were derailed.
The CBI has filed a FIR and begun its investigation, but political parties have questioned the necessity of the investigation. It is unclear who interfered with the electronic interlocking system, which is thought to be failsafe and error-free, and led the Coromandel Express loco pilot astray.
The Bihar government has ordered that the Ganga river’s debris be cleared within 15 days, issued show-cause notices to the MDs of Bihar Pul Nirman Nigam Ltd and S P Singla Construction business, and suspended an executive engineer.
