Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday hinted at the involvement of foreign hands in the recent rise of train accidents. The union minister said primarily, there are indications of foreign hand as well in the continuous rail accidents in the country.
Highlights of moves taken by Railways for safety
Railway Ministry officials spoke to DGPs and Chief Secretaries of all states and asked them to increase vigil along the tracks, said the union minister giving details of measures taken by the Railways to ensure the safety of the train passengers.
"The officials urged the police to remain alert. An investigation of recent incidents is going on. Cameras will be installed in the engines and bogies of all trains," he added.
75 lakh AI-operated CCTV cameras in trains
Indian Railways has decided that the security system of railway tracks will be strengthened, he said adding the Railways will now install about 75 lakh AI-operated CCTV cameras in trains. Apart from the coaches, cameras will also be installed in the locomotive rail engines to alert the loco pilot. There is a plan to equip 40,000 coaches, 14,000 locomotives and 6000 EMUs with AI-powered CCTV cameras, the union minister said.
LPG cylinder placed on track in Kanpur
Recently on September 9, a major train accident was averted by an alert loco pilot as the Bhiwani-Prayagraj Kalindi Express was brought to a screeching halt after hitting an LPG cylinder placed on tracks in Kanpur. A bottle of petrol and matchboxes were also found at the site hinting at a sabotage bid.
An FIR has been registered and teams have been formed by multiple agencies including Uttar Pradesh's Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and the NIA to probe the matter. Kanpur police detained six persons, including two local history sheeters, in connection with the case and decided to form a Special Investigation Team.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Harish Chander said 4-5 grams of explosive powder apart from a bottle filled with petrol and a wick, matchboxes and an LPG cylinder which was placed on the tracks to derail the train have been recovered.
Meanwhile, the Intelligence Bureau, National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the UP Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) visited the incident site while the Local Intelligence Unit has also been asked to step up information gathering.
(Report by Anamika/PTI)
