New Delhi, April 1 A parliamentary panel has directed the Railway Ministry to provide a timeline for the 100 percent implementation of the automatic train protection system 'Kavach' and the adoption of the Swiss Cheese Slices model, which involves installing multiple layers of safety defenses.
In its latest report titled "Derailments in Indian Railways", presented to the parliament on Wednesday, the Public Accounts Committee stated that the Ministry had not provided a timeline for the 100 percent implementation of the KAVACH system and had not furnished details on the implementation status of the "Swiss Cheese Slices" or "defense barriers" model.
"The Committee desires to be informed of the latest details regarding these matters," the report said.
The PAC, in its 132nd report presented to the parliament on July 24, 2024, had made 17 recommendations to the Railway Ministry, including a time-bound program for the installation of the Kavach system in all divisions.
Other recommendations included addressing shortfalls in inspections by Track Recording Cars (specialized rail vehicles used to measure track parameters for safety) to assess the condition of railway tracks, the idling of track machines, the non-submission of inquiry reports of train accidents to the authority, and the non-availability of fire extinguishers in 27,763 coaches, all in violation of extant norms.
The present report deals with the action taken by the Railway Ministry on these 17 recommendations.
"The Committee had recommended that the Ministry should take up a time-bound program for the installation of the KAVACH system in all divisions/routes," the report said.
"The Committee had recommended that Indian Railways needed to remodel the operational training programs, taking into account the five layers/barriers of defense (Swiss Cheese Slices or defense barriers) against accidents/derailments, and use this model as a reference for strengthening these barriers to prevent similar incidents. The Committee also desired to be informed of the implementation status of this model and the benefits derived from it," it added.
In its response, the Railway Ministry stated, "…they have not reflected upon the timeline for the 100 percent implementation of the program for the installation of the KAVACH system, nor have they provided details on the implementation status of the Swiss Cheese Slices or defense barriers model and the benefits derived from it across all divisions/ZR."
Regarding fire safety measures in trains and at stations, the Committee noted that the Ministry, in its response, had not elaborated on the details regarding the conduct of comprehensive Fire Risk Assessments of trains and stations by an independent agency/Authority.
"The Committee desires that the details of the latest measures taken/proposed to help formulate a foolproof fire safety protocol, along with details of the fire safety audit, be furnished to the Committee," the report stated.