Nitish Sharma

Ambala, July 26

To avoid mishaps due to human error during the late night operations on the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor, the authorities have intensified surprise checks of goods trains to check the alertness of staff.

Over 30 goods trains have been inspected during the night in the last over one month. Two teams have been formed for Haryana and Punjab for the inspection of the section under Ambala unit of the freight corridor.

On June 2, two goods trains running between Sadhoogarh and Sirhind railway stations on the corridor derailed and it affected the track of the Indian Railway too. In the preliminary report, the railway authorities flagged the negligence of the loco pilot, assistant loco pilot and chief loco inspector behind the incident and suggested some system improvement. The railway suffered a loss of worth over Rs 42 crore which included an advanced locomotive, track wagons, over-head equipment and tracks.

Sources said "In the preliminary report, besides the negligence of the loco pilot and assistant loco pilot, some system failures were pointed out. It was mentioned in the report that the vigilance control device, which was installed in the loco motive, failed to serve its intended purpose. The device is installed to monitor the alertness of the driver and in case the driver falls asleep it should apply brakes. The device is operated by foot, and despite the fact that driver fell asleep, it kept working. It has been suggested that it is installed at some other place. There have been suggestions regarding changes in the interlocking too."

Pankaj Gupta, Chief General Manager, Ambala unit of Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) said: "A preliminary report suggesting cause of accident was received on which our remarks were sought. The detailed report is yet to be received. The operations are being carried out as per the guidelines and there was no violation on the part of DFCCIL."

"All efforts are being made to ensure safe operations on the freight corridor. To avoid any human error and ensure that the on-duty staff is alert, a safety drive has been launched and surprise visits and checks are being carried out during the late hours. DFC officials monitor the working and alertness of the staff and also carry breath analyzer to check alcohol content. It has also been decided that officials will inspect the section every night by engine or by road to ensure safe operations," he added.