A CAG report on Tuesday in Parliament highlighted under utilization of safety funds, lack of safety audits, incomplete safety work at level crossings, and a large number of vacancies in safety category posts.
Reviewing the corporate safety plan formulated by the railways for 2003- 2013, with a fund outlay of Rs. 31,835 crore, the audit report said the ministry has fallen short on all targets.
The report said that less than 65 per cent of funds, allocated for road safety work, was utilised during 2003- 2009. “ Only 12.62 per cent of identified level crossings have been replaced ( with road over bridges) so far,” the report added.
The report also found that the railway administration had surrendered about 50 per cent or more of the funds allotted for road safety in this period. Not surprisingly, fatalities because of accidents at level crossings numbered 454 of the total 714 fatalities for 2005- 06 and 2007- 08.
The study revealed that the railways “ could not fully achieve the target of Phase I in providing ballast, improvement works at level crossings for road users’ safety”. The safety plan had proposed the replacement of locomotives that had completed its life span of 25 years, every year. However, the report found that of the 4,163 broad gauge diesel locomotives in use, 223 were over the age limit.
The report also found that road safety audit targets could not be met by many zones, while many did not maintain proper records of such drives.
While the overall accident figures had come down over the years, some types of accidents like those at level crossings and collisions had gone up in some zones, the report found.
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