Lok Sabha Question No. 2648 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-12-04
Subject: Rail Accidents
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Sanjay(Kaka) Ramchandra Patil

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2648 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.12.2019

## RAIL ACCIDENTS

2648.  SHRI SANJAY KAKA PATIL:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Ministry  is  considering  any  plan  to  scrap  railway passenger subsidy of Indian Railways;
- (b) the  steps  taken  by  the  ministry  of  railways  to  minimize  rail accidents; and
- (c) the  financial  compensation  schemes  to  rail  accident  victims and amount of compensation paid to victims during 2014-19 and the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF RAILWAYS AND COMMERCE & INDUSTRY

(SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

(a) to (c) A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (c) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2648 BY SHRI SANJAY KAKA PATIL TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 04.12.2019 REGARDING RAIL ACCIDENTS

- (a) Traditionally  Indian  Railway  has  kept  the  passenger  fares  lower, keeping  in  view  the  affordability  for  common  man.  It  is  a  fact  that coaching or passenger segment is incurring losses, as it does not recover the cost of service. This is due to continuous rise in input costs but not commensurate  increase  in  fares.  Last  passenger  fare  revision  was effected in 2014-15.
- (b) Safety  is  accorded  the  highest  priority  by  Indian  Railways  and  all possible steps are undertaken on a continuous basis to prevent accidents and  to  enhance  safety.  These  include  timely  replacement  of  over-aged assets, adoption of suitable technologies for upgradation and maintenance  of  track,  rolling  stock,  signaling  and  interlocking  systems, safety drives, greater emphasis  on  training of officials and safety inspections at regular intervals to monitor and educate staff for observance of  safe  practices.  Preventive  and  predictive  maintenance  of the  Railway  assets  is  undertaken  to  ensure  safe  train  operation.  Safety devices/system being used to prevent accidents include Electronic Interlocking,  track  circuiting,  provision  of  Block  Proving  Axle  Counters, Colour Light LED Signals, Train Protection and Warning System, Vigilance Control Device, Fog Pass Device, usage of 52 Kg / 60 Kg, 90 or higher UTS rails and pre-stressed Concrete Sleeper, use of Ultrasonic Flaw Detection

of  rails  and  welds  at  predefined  periodicity  to  detect  internal  flaws  in rails/welds.  Electronic  monitoring  of  track  geometry  is  carried  out  to detect  defects  and  plan  maintenance.  Steel  Channel  Sleepers  on  girder bridges are being used while carrying out primary track renewals. Further, Cast Manganese Steel crossings on indentified routes. Progressive use of Linke Hofmann  Busch  Coaches,  use  of  Centre  Buffer  Couplers  with  Integral Coach  Factory  Coaches  etc.  Railway  tracks  are  replaced  on  age-cumcondition  basis  through  track  renewal  works  which  is  an  on-going process. Other measures include training of loco pilots and other safety category staff, improvement of their working conditions including proper rest and periodic medical examination etc. Besides, patrolling of tracks, are regularly conducted to continuously monitor and improve safety aspects

₹

it has been decided to lay Thick webs switches, Weldable footplate inspections and  safety reviews  at various level, etc. of the Indian Railways. (c)  Railway's  liability  for  compensation  for  death  or  injury  of  railway passenger in train  accident  is  laid  down  in  Section  124  of  Railway  Act, 1989. Admissibility of compensation  is decided by Railway Claims Tribunal (RCT) on the basis of a claim application filed by claimant before them.  Railway  Administration  is  liable  to  pay  compensation  to  rail passenger only when a decree is awarded by Hon'ble RCT in favour of the claimant.  Amount  of  compensation  is 8  Lakhs  in  case  of  death  and

₹ 64000 to ₹ 8 lakhs in case of injury, depending on the nature and type of injuries sustained.

The amount of compensation paid to the victims of train accidents/their dependants during 2014-2019 (upto Oct 2019) is as follows:-

| Year                         |   Compensation paid ( ₹ in Lakhs) |
|------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
| 2014-15                      |                            127.48 |
| 2015-16                      |                            262.95 |
| 2016-17                      |                            303.17 |
| 2017-18                      |                            188.51 |
| 2018-19                      |                            641.15 |
| 2019-20 (Till 31st Oct 2019) |                            347.72 |

Note : The compensation paid in a year need not necessarily relate to  the  accidents/casualties  in  that  year  alone.  The  amount paid in a year depends upon the number of cases finalized by the RCTs  or other Courts of Law  in a particular year irrespective of the year(s) in which the accident they pertain to, have occurred.

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