BHUBANESWAR: In a major security lapse , Ahmedabad-Puri Express train rolled down without engine for around 12km putting life of passengers at risk in Odisha on Saturday night. The train with 22 coaches travelled from
Titlagarh station in
Balangir district to Kesinga station in
Kalahandi district at around 10 pm on Saturday. All passengers were safe.
The incident happened at Titlagarh when the engine was being detached from the train. The section from Titlagarh towards Kesinga, 385km from here, has a downward slope. Coaches were stopped by alert Railway staff by putting stones and bringing them to halt, said official sources.
Cause of rolling down of the train was non-application of skid-brake on the wheels of the coaches by the staff deployed there. According to rules, the staff should have put the skids.
"When engine is detached to be attached at the other end, the coaches should be secured with skids at the wheels. In this case, it appears that the skids have not been placed properly. Facts will be known after detailed enquiry," said an
East Coast Railway spokesperson.
DRM Sambalpur Jaideep Gupta has ordered a senior officer-level enquiry consisting of divisional heads of different departments. Divisional Safety Officer have rushed to Titlagarh.
The coaches with engine had left Kesinga at 12.35 am. A thorough check of the coaches was undertaken at Kesinga. Similar exercise had been repeated at Titlagarh as an additional precaution.
"A major accident has been averted. It would have been fatal for the passengers. It happened due to negligence of railways officials," said Mukesh Sharma, a passenger.
ECoR general manager Umesh Singh has called for immediate corrective action and stringent action in this case. Two engine drivers, three carriage repairing staff and two group D employees have been suspended.
