Lucknow, March 24 (IANS) Over three days after a train disaster left 38 people dead in Uttar Pradesh, it is not still clear what really caused the horrific accident.
Preliminary inquiry into the March 20 derailment in Rae Bareli district has apparently thrown up various versions, railway sources say.
Thirty-eight people were killed and dozens injured when the engine and three coaches of the Varanasi-bound Janata Express went off the tracks at Bachranwa, a small railway station.
The train had originated at Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, some officials said the preliminary investigation also exposed poor maintenance of the coaches that derailed.
A Northern Railway official said the incident "exposed the entire system".
"Even the maintenance of the coaches had been given a go-by for years," he alleged. The coaches were reportedly 25 years old.
A maintenance check on one of the derailed coaches was scheduled for January 2 this year but it was not done, the official said.
This particular coach took the maximum impact, and was reduced from a 69-feet length train car to 10 feet of mangled remains of steel and iron.
Also, all the four brakes in the engine as well as the guard vacuum brake did not function that day, resulting in disaster, added the same source.
The train driver, the assistant driver and the guard, who were injured in the accident, were discharged from a railway medical facility on Sunday.
While the guard, A.K. Gupta, denies driver Parasnath Mishra's claim that he informed him of the brake failure on walkie-talkie, officials at Bachrawan station say none of the two said anything on the subject before the accident.
Soon after the accident, railway officials said that prima facie the train driver was to blame for the disaster.
He was accused of not stopping the train at Bachrawan, and then suddenly diverting the train on to a parallel track.
But some officials say it is good he did that because another train was approaching this train on the same track from the opposite direction.
Had the driver not diverted the train, there could have been a head-on collision, these officials say.
But if that is true, then who was at fault? The driver of the train that derailed or the train coming from the opposite direction?
As of now, there are too many questions and too few clear answers.
(Mohit Dubey can be to contacted at mohit.d@ians.in )
No bar on media coverage in Adani-Hindenburg case: Supreme Court dismisses petition; Said – will give a decision soon on the formation of the committee
The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a plea seeking a stay on media coverage on the Adani-Hindenburg case. The court said that it cannot stop the media from reporting. At the same time, the court
PM Modi: PM Modi inaugurated 'India Energy Week', and said - the modern infrastructure of the 21st century should be maintained.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India Energy Week 2024 in Goa. During this, in his address, the Prime Minister said, 'Experts around the world believe that India will soon become the third
Demand for compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the families of those who died of Corona, Supreme Court asked the Center to decide in 10 days
New Delhi: The Center today told the Supreme Court that the demand for compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the families of those who died of the corona is being sympathetically considered. The decision will
GST Council Meeting: A big decision may come on online skill gaming in the GST Council meeting, know how much tax will increase?
The Goods and Services Tax Council can make a big decision on online skill gaming in its two-day meeting. The Goods and Services Tax can be increased to 28 percent in the upcoming meeting of the GST
Economy: Chief Economist of Morgan Stanley said - India will become the third largest economy by 2027
Economy: Indian economy is growing at the fastest pace despite various global challenges. In the next five years i.e. by 2027, India can become the third largest economy in the world after the US and
IGNOU Registration 2023: Apply for admission in January session in IGNOU from today, this is the process
Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has started admission for January 2023 session. Applicants seeking admission can apply for several courses offered by the university at the official
Team India's first challenge in 2023. T-20 from Sri Lanka: Young faces like Mavi, Mukesh, and Tripathi in the T-20 team, Surya vice-captain for the first time
On January 3, Team India will play the first match of 2023. The Sri Lankan team has come to India for T20 and ODI series. There are new faces in the team under the captaincy of Hardik for the first
ICSI CSEET 2022: Registration for Company Secretary Executive Entrance Exam November session begins, know exam pattern
ICSI CSEET 2022: The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) has started the registration process for Company Secretary Executive Entrance Test (CSEET) i.e. Executive Entrance Test 2022 for
3 big faces away from the UN General Assembly: Modi, Putin and Jinping will not come; India will focus on 5S formula
This time Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not going to the United Nations General Assembly i.e. UNGA. On behalf of India, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar will attend the General Assembly.
IND vs SA: Sunil Gavaskar sends a strong message to Gambhir-Agarkar in the name of Karun Nair and Sarfaraz Khan
The Indian team, true to its reputation, performed poorly in the Kolkata Test against South Africa, suffering a crushing defeat. The Indian batsmen performed poorly in both innings at Eden Gardens,
