Amid the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday informed the Rajya Sabha that 1,761 loco pilots failed breathalyser test in the last five years. He further stated that they were also subjected to disciplinary action as per the laid down policies.
“In order to ensure safe train operation, Loco Pilots are required to undergo Breathalyser (BA) test in respective lobbies,” Vaishnaw said in his written reply. He was replying to an unstarred question posed by Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Modi.
“In the last five years, out of a total number of 8,28,03,387 BA tests conducted, 1,761 number of Loco Pilots, in which 674 number of passenger Loco Pilots and 1,087 number of Goods Loco Pilots, the highest -- 521 from Northern Railway, have failed the test,” he added.
The railways routinely carries out breathalyser tests as a safety measure to prevent consumption of alcohol during duty hours. The loco pilots, who have failed the test are not allowed to run the train and suitable disciplinary actions are taken as per laid down policies.
"In order to ensure safe train operation, Loco Pilots are required to undergo Breathalyser (BA) test in respective lobbies. In last five years, out of total number of 8,28,03,387 BA tests conducted, 1761 Loco Pilots, in which 674 passenger Loco Pilots and 1087 Goods Loco Pilots, have failed the test," Railways Minister informed the Upper House.
While the highest number of loco pilots who have failed the tests are from Northern Railway, the lowest-- 12-- loco pilots are from Southern Railway, as per the zone-wise data provided by the Railways Minister.
What is breathalyzer test and how it works?
A breathalyzer test is a diagnostic device that measures how much alcohol is in the air a person breathes out. It can be used to estimate blood alcohol content (BAC), or how much alcohol is in the blood. Screening devices are about the size of old-fashioned mobile phones. The driver blows into a disposable mouthpiece for each test. The whole process takes about a minute for the device to record the result. Screening devices offer four result categories: “zero,” “pass,” “warn,” and “fail”. Anyone who fails the test is arrested and is required to perform an evidential breath test at a police station.
(With inputs from agencies)
