NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Centre to inform about the steps proposed or already undertaken, including implementation of anti collision system 'Kavach', to ensure safety of Railway passengers and prevent train accident.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and K V Vishwanathan sought a response from Attorney General R Venkatramani within four weeks, acting on a PIL by advocate Vishal Tiwari.
The plea has sought a direction to set up an expert commission headed by a retired judge of the top court to conduct a time-bound probe into the Odisha train accident on June 2, which claimed lives of over 288 people and left thousand others injured.
On March 23, 2022, the Ministry of Railways had announced a significant step towards enhancing the safety of train operations in India with the development of the Indigenous Automatic Train Protection (ATP) System called Kavach.
The petitioner claimed it is absolute necessary to implement the model of Kavach in every rail line and train carrier at the earliest without any technical fault. It is relevant to ask as to why this system was not applied to the trains yet despite the claims.
He also sought a direction for analysing and reviewing the current risk and safety parameters in the railway system and to suggest systematic modifications for strengthening it.
Tiwari's plea also sought a direction for issuance of guidelines for the implementation of Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system called 'Kavach' in Indian Railways with immediate effect to ensure public safety.
The Odisha train accident involving crash of three trains caused death of more than 288 people and injuries to over 1000 people. It resulted into severe damage to public properties. It had received widespread sympathy and condolences from all over the world as it is one of the most massive train accidents in India in last few decades, the plea said.
The petitioner said the accident showed the deep gross negligences perpetrated by the authorities leading to violation of right to life and liberty of citizens under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.
