CCRS, Lucknow, orders statutory inquiry into Amritsar rail accident

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New Delhi : Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety (CCRS), Lucknow has ordered statutory inquiry into the recent Amritsar rail accident in Punjab.

The incident of run over by a train at Amritsar leading to several deaths and injuries has become a matter of great public discourse especially raising concerns regarding safety of persons trespassing on railway tracks. Gurjeet Singh Aujla, MP from Amritsar, met Railways & Coal Minister Piyush Goyal and personally handed over his letter dated October 23, 2018, to him and requested for an inquiry by Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) into the incident.

Ministry of Railways considered this request and other facts, circumstances and legal provisions. As per law, in such cases, it is not mandatory to conduct inquiry by Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety (CCRS), but it is not impermissible either. In the past, CRS inquiry was conducted into an incident of run over of persons on railway tracks.

Though, prima facie, Railways does not appear to be responsible in this incident, issue of inquiry by an independent and technically competent authority not reporting to Ministry of Railways was considered and request was made to CCRS to conduct an inquiry into this matter. Considering this, Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety (CCRS), Lucknow, has ordered statutory inquiry into the incident.