312 track maintenance Railways staff died on duty in last four years

NEW DELHI, DEC 18: Over 300 Railway Track Maintenance (RTM) personnel have lost their lives on duty after being by trains in the last four years over the Indian Railways. The highest number of RTM staff had died on duty from different railway sections in Uttar Pradesh from 2018 to December 5 in 2022.

The Railways informed the Rajya Sabha (RS) that a total of 312 track maintenance staff had died in the last four years on duty in different parts of the country.

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday in a written reply said that ex-gratia compensations were paid to the families of Railway track maintenance staff who lost their lives while performing bonafide official duties after being hit by trains.

“We are conducting regular counselling of track maintenance staff for ‘personal safety first’ while working near the tracks. They have also been equipped with protective equipment, safety helmets, and retro-reflective high visibility jackets for duty”, the minister informed the House, adding that work site remote control hooters and whistles were provided to track maintenance staff.

The minister also said that periodic medical examination is regularly being conducted to ascertain the fitness of track personnel.

The most notable information the minister gave in the Upper House was that the government has sanctioned the very high frequency-based ‘Approaching Train Warning System’, which is also called ‘Rakshak’, on the Golden Quadrilateral-Golden Diagonal routes on Indian Railway. “For this system, Rs 91.21 crores have been sanctioned”, the minister added.

According to data shared by the minister in the RS, 61 track maintenance personnel lost their lives after having been hit by trains during duty in Uttar Pradesh from 2018 to December 5 in 2022. 48 track maintenance personnel died in Maharashtra during duty in the same period.

-TNIE