New Delhi: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge Monday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying the Odisha train accident has been an eye-opener that has exposed the “empty security claims” of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

“The train accident in Odisha has been an eye opener for all of us. All the empty safety claims of the Railway Minister have now been exposed. There is serious concern among the common passengers about this deterioration in safety,” wrote the Conrgess chief.

The Congress chief asserted that it is remarkable that Indian Railways fecilitated passengers that equal the whole population of Australia every single day.

“But I say with remorse that instead of focusing on strengthening the railways at the basic level only superficial touch up is being done to stay in news. Instead of making the railways more effective, more advanced, and more efficient, it is instead being meted out with step- motherly treatment,” he added.

The devastating train accident in Odisha has shocked the nation.

Today, the most crucial step is to prioritise installation of mandatory safety standards to ensure safety of our passengers

My letter to PM, Shri @narendramodi, highlighting important facts. pic.twitter.com/fx8IJGqAwk

— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) June 5, 2023

Question over vacanct Railways post 

In his letter, the Congress chief Kharge pointed out at misallocation of the jobs in Railways that caused thousands of posts vacant.

“In fact in the East Coast Railway – the site of this tragic accident – about 8,278 posts are vacant. It’s the same story of
apathy and negligence even in the case of senior positions, where both the PMO and the Cabinet Committee play a crucial role in appointments,” said Mallikarjun Kharge.

Only 8-10% train accident cases are investigated 

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge cited a report by the Parliamentary Committee on Travel, Tourism and Culture that said only 8 to 10 per cent of train accidents are investigated.

Cuts by 75% In Funds

He further referred to a CAG report that highlight reduction in funding for the Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK) by a massive 75 percent.

‘Raksha Kavach’ or ‘Kavach’, implemented on only 4% routes

The Congress leader further cornered the Prime Minister over anti-train-collision system called ‘Kavach’. He said the pervious government was about to roll out the system under name Raksha Kavach that was tested successfully, but it was put on the back burner.

He accused the Modi government to rename the scheme ‘Kavach’ and in March 2022. He said, “…the Railway Minister himself projected the rechristened scheme as a new novel invention. But the question still remains, why have only a measly 4% of routes of Indian Railways been protected by ‘Kavach’ till now?”