HUBBALLI
Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) President K Hemalatha said despite the alarming rate of accidents and the huge loss of lives, the Union government is not showing any concern for protecting the lives of the people and staff who are crucial to the operation of the trains.
Speaking at a state-level convention on ‘Safety in Railways', organised by the CITU, Hemalatha stated that the BJP-led NDA government failed to take effective measures to prevent train accidents. Instead, government is blaming the railway employees for these accidents and taking punitive action against them, she added. The number of train accidents, which was 21 in 2020-21, increased to 34 in 2021-22, 48 in 2022-23, and 81 in 2024-25. The Railway Minister informed Parliament in 2022 that 469 passengers were killed and 1,275 injured in train accidents during 2014-19, she said.
S Varalakshmi, State President, CITU, said to oppose the privatisation of railways and address the safety concerns of passengers and employees. Government is casting a negative shadow on employment. Contract employment is increasing, and due to this, accidents are increasing. The employees are working overtime, which is leading to accidents, she said.
General Secretary Meenakshi Sundaram demanded that the Union government should ensure the safety of railway passengers and provide safe working conditions for railway employees. Government should stop the privatisation of Indian Railways in any form and improve facilities for passengers on trains, with senior citizens receiving concessions like women and other demands, she said.
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The trains running in suburban areas are experiencing accidents too. Hundreds of track maintainers died. More than 450 trackmen died in railway accidents. Rail travel, an affordable mode of travel used by more than 2 crore people every day, must be made safe, CITU President Hemalatha demanded.