Safety Controversy: Railway Training Standards Under Scrutiny After Fatal Incident

A special train, during a safety inspection, allegedly ran over a track maintainer near Hakimpur railway station in Uttar Pradesh. The track maintainers' union claims he lacked proper training, while Railways officials deny this, insisting he had completed training. The incident raises concerns over railway safety standards.

In a tragic incident, a special train carrying Moradabad's divisional railway manager during a safety inspection allegedly ran over a track maintainer near Hakimpur railway station in Uttar Pradesh's Amroha on Friday.

The incident has sparked controversy as the track maintainers' union claims that the deceased, Rajesh Singh, who joined the Railways only four months ago, was engaged in patrolling and maintaining tracks without proper training, violating established norms.

However, Railways officials have denied these allegations, stating that Singh had completed his training in July. Senior Divisional Commercial Manager (Moradabad Division) told PTI, ''The deceased had proper training to work on the tracks. This is a human accident, and the family is being provided with appropriate support.''

Contradicting the official stance, All India Railway Track Maintainers' Union national working president Chand Mohammad claimed that Singh was assigned keyman duties without specialised training, which goes against norms. He added that Singh's role and pay grade indicated he should have been part of a group, not working alone. This incident highlights the ongoing issues and neglect faced by track maintainers within the Railways.

The debate over Singh's training is part of a broader concern, as Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw previously revealed that 361 railway workers lost their lives in train accidents during maintenance over the past five years.

(With inputs from agencies.)