When the country has witnessed the third major train derailment in two months, after the tragic incident of Jagdalpur-Bhubaneswar express, Archbishop Anil J.T. Couto expressed his deep concern through a press statement. The statement of the Archbishop of Delhi, clearly points out that, while the government is dreaming of bullet trains, it has to strengthen the existing railway tracks and security system.
This Saturday, India witnessed the third major train derailment after the Indore-Patna Express derailed on Nov 10, killing 150 people and the Sealdah-Ajmer Express, injuring 43. The Archbishop of Delhi has expressed his apprehension through a press statement, “The news reports of frequent accidents of trains in the country are of deep concern to me and every citizen of this country. In the past few weeks many lives have been lost due to such accidents and scores of people have been gravely injured. These accidents could have easily been prevented if proper safety measures had been put in place. These are purely man-made tragedies and the government and the railway officials seem to ignore and brush aside the recommendations on safety of rail passengers.”
India, a nation where more than 22 million passengers use Indian railway network every day, needs more safety measures for the passengers. Since India is being the fourth largest nation in the world in the use of railway and the recent man-made tragedies, the Archbishop cautioned the society by saying, “It’s high time that the governments put the safety and security of its citizens above short-term political and other gains.”
