Month-long railway safety drive across country: Rail board chief

Bhubaneswar, April 8 (IANS) Railway Board Chairman Ashwani Lohani on Sunday ordered a month-long joint safety drive by the operating and electrical departments at railway stations across the country.

Lohani directed that shunting staff and loco pilots/shunters be closely monitored and counselled during the drive.

As many as 22 coaches of the Ahmedabad-Puri Express travelled for about 10 km towards Kesinga in Kalahandi district due to non-application of skid brakes on wheels when the train engine was detached at Titlagarh station in Odisha late on Saturday.

The Railways Chief Safety Officers have been ordered to oversee the drive, at the end of which General Managers would submit reports about their observations, actions taken and suggestions for improvement, an official statement said.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday expressed concern over the incident.

"CM Naveen_Odisha expressed serious concern on the Puri-Ahmedabad Express incident that put lives of hundreds of passengers in danger. Passenger safety is above everything and cannot be compromised. @PiyushGoyal @RailMinIndia should take remedial action to address the lapses," the Chief Minister's Office tweeted.

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