Stating that such lapses could lead to severe mishaps, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said the recent accident involving Coromandel Express in Balasore “serves as a stark reminder” of the serious consequences such incidents may have. “The committee observes that to mitigate such risks, the ministry must take immediate action and invest in advanced technology for proactive fault detection,” the panel said in its report, which was submitted in Lok Sabha on Thursday. It said the railways should plan for a common duct for all signal, electrical and telecommunication systems, which would minimise cable cuts and ensure safety of the rail network.
The PAC report is based on the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report of 2021 which had flagged the railways’ failure to implement the Joint Procedure Orders (JPO), which relates to digging work in the vicinity of signalling, electrical and telecommunication cables, which had led to damaged cables in South Eastern Railway and West Central Railway.
The committee took note that the railway ministry had issued the JPO in 2004 to address cable protection after a major accident in Northern Railway. It also took note of how the national transporter increased the penalty for non-compliance to prevent careless digging by executing agencies and to reduce instances of cable cut.
The panel said that there was a visible lack of coordination among various departments of the railways and many times, the railway administration had not provided cable route plans to contractors which resulted in damage to cables. “The committee, therefore, feel that the railway administration should invariably provide cable route plans to the contractors before initiating any work,” the report said.