Odisha train accident could be result of human error: Report
The Odisha triple train accident, which killed at least 288 people and injured over 900, might be the result of "human error," Railways officials told News18. Ruling out the possibility of sabotage, officials said an "unintentional mistake" could have been made due to "overburdened staff." This comes days after a preliminary investigation blamed the signaling system for the horrific accident in Balasore.
Railway staff under a lot of pressure: Official
Speaking with News18, an official from the South Eastern Railway (SER) said, "On major busy routes, like the one where the accident took place, trains are so frequent that around every two-three minutes, there will be a train." "Sometimes, the pressure is so high that they may ignore some issues, not intentionally, but by accident," the official added.
Don't agree with the word 'sabotage': Official
The source further told the publication, "Sometimes, the staff is under great pressure that they may make mistakes...It is indeed a criminal mistake but it is possible it was not intentional. I don't agree with the word 'sabotage'." "Manipulation of the system intentionally is something I cannot believe," the official said, adding that manipulations are reflected in the central monitoring unit (for that division).
Railways' electronic interlocking system is very strong, says official
Meanwhile, another officer from the Kharagpur division of Railways said the electronic interlocking system is so strong that even if a stone impacts the route, the signals will turn red. "I am not saying that it doesn't involve human interference but sabotage is a very strong allegation," they said, adding that the only person who can tell what happened was the loco pilot.
Train may have derailed before entering wrong track, suspects officer
Meanwhile, a third official told News18 that it was possible that the train derailed before entering the loop line. The official added that a detailed investigation of the track and wheel is also critical to find the real reason for the derailment. "If we are talking about human interference, it is possible that it is more of negligence and not a planned criminal act."
Thousands of non-gazetted posts vacant in SER
According to the outlet, as of February, 17,811 out of 96,582 sanctioned non-gazetted posts in the SER are vacant. Moreover, 150 out of 937 sanctioned gazetted posts are vacant. Odisha's Bahanaga Bazar railway station, where the incident occurred, comes under SER.
