Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Safety first: On the lessons from the train accident in Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh

Safety first: On the lessons from the train accident in Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh

Railways must upgrade (improve, enhance, revamp, reform, make better) its signalling and telecommunications network

The train accident in Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh, which claimed (दावा करना) 13 lives and left 38 injured, has again highlighted (underline, emphasize, underscore, stress, call/draw attention to) the inadequacies (deficiency, shortage, insufficiency; fault, flaw, defect) in the railway safety system. A stationary (unmoving, stopped, halted) train, the Visakhapatnam-Palasa passenger, was hit (crash into, collide with, run into, bang into, bump into) by the Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger at Kantakapalli station, 36 kilometres from Visakhapatnam, on the Vizianagaram-Visakhapatnam line. The accident comes just after the horrific (भीषण) three-train collision (टक्कर) in Odisha’s Balasore district in June, where at least 275 people were killed. Human error may be a common factor in both accidents. “Signalling interference (interruption, disruption, disturbance, obstruction; it is a process which changes or disrupts a signal while transmitting)” may have led to the accident in Odisha while “signal jump” is suspected (संदेह करना) to be the cause (कारण, आधार) in Vizianagaram. In both accidents, Kavach (it is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system by the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) in collaboration with the Indian Railways) — the indigenously (in an indigenous (originating from native/local) manner, something is produced in a particular region/country) developed train collision avoidance system — was not available on the trains. The tragedy raises questions whether the top brass (प्रमुख अधिकारी) of the Indian Railways has failed to enforce (लागू करना) rail safety regulations. Even in the case of the Odisha accident, there was no proactive (सक्रिय) and intensive (गहन) campaign (अभियान) by the government to reassure people that there would not be another such accident, one of India’s worst.

The deeper and chronic (पुराना, दीर्घकालीन) issues that plague (afflict, bother, disturb, trouble) the functioning of the Railways should be analysed. There is a view that importance has not been given to upgrading the signalling and telecommunications network as well as human resources development (मानव संसाधन विकास). Even after the empanelling (enrol, sign up, apply) of nearly 1.12 lakh candidates (उम्मीदवार), between April 2022 and June 2023, for posts related to operational safety, around 53,180 posts were still vacant, as on July 1, 2023. There have been measures (उपाय) such as the interlocking of nearly 11,100 level crossing (a point/place at which a railway line and a road meet each other on the same level) gates (as on May 31, 2023), mechanisation (मशीनीकरण) of track-laying activity by track machines to reduce human errors, provision (supplying, giving, providing, allocation, distribution) of electrical or electronic interlocking system with centralised (bringing all processes together in one place) operation of points and signals at 6,427 stations to eliminate accidents due to human failure, and implementation of the Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (In 2017, the government had set up a dedicated non-lapsable fund, Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK), with a corpus of Rs one lakh crore. This fund had to be utilised over a period of five years starting FY 2017-18. This fund would be spent only on critical safety related works. According to an official document, from 2017-18 to 2021-22, the railways spent more than Rs 1 lakh crore on RRSK works. In February 2022, the government extended the validity of RRSK by another five years, starting 2022- 23) for the replacement, renewal and upgradation (improvement, advancement, refinement) of critical safety assets, to improve the functioning of the railway system, especially safety. But these steps will have no value (useless, worthless, pointless) when lives continue to be lost. At the very least (at least, to put it mildly, at the absolute minimum, without any exaggeration), there has to be the accountability (responsibility, liability, answerability) of the senior railway management, at the divisional level itself, when such an accident occurs. In addition to installing technology on every train that captures every-minute communication, the government should see to it (to ensure that something is done/dealt carefully; to make sure that) that members of the Railway Board are drawn (get, obtain, acquire, receive) from a pool (a group of people (considered as a resource)) of professionals and technocrats (a supporter of technocracy; a person who is with both political power as well as technical knowledge. technocracy (noun) - the government by a group of people with both political power as well as technical knowledge) outside the railway system. Sooner than later, it may have to carry out (conduct, perform, execute, implement, bring about) a holistic (relating to an integrated/comprehensive/all-inclusive approach that improves the “whole” system instead of a particular section/branch of it) revamp (overhaul, renovation, improvement, restoration, refurbishment, remodelling, makeover) of the railway system.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.claim (verb)

Hindi Meaning - दावा करना
English Meaning - take lives; cause/result in the loss of lives.

2.horrific (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - भीषण
English Meaning - horrible, awful, terrible, gruesome, frightful, dreadful.

3.collision (noun)

Hindi Meaning - टक्कर
English Meaning - accident, clash, bump, hit/strike.

4.suspect (verb)

Hindi Meaning - संदेह करना
English Meaning - consider, think, presume, deduce, infer.

5.cause (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कारण, आधार
English Meaning - reason, basis, grounds.

6.top brass (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रमुख अधिकारी
English Meaning - the most important people or the people in the highest positions in an organization.

7.enforce (verb)

Hindi Meaning - लागू करना
English Meaning - implement, execute, discharge, apply (a law, rule, or obligation).

8.proactive (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - सक्रिय
English Meaning - farsighted, forehanded, forward-looking, careful/prudent.

9.intensive (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - गहन
English Meaning - thorough, detailed, methodical, extensive, widespread.

10.campaign (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अभियान
English Meaning - drive, effort, movement; an organized effort that seeks to influence the decision-making progress within a specific group.

11.chronic (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - पुराना, दीर्घकालीन
English Meaning - constant, continuing, unending, persistent, long-lasting.

12.human resources development (HRD) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मानव संसाधन विकास
English Meaning - the process of increasing the knowledge, the skills, and the capacities of all the employees in an organisation.

13.candidate (noun)

Hindi Meaning - उम्मीदवार
English Meaning - applicant, job-seeker, prospective employee.

14.measure (noun)

Hindi Meaning - उपाय
English Meaning - action, act, step, move.

15.mechanisation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मशीनीकरण
English Meaning - the introduction of machines or automatic devices.

16.upgrade (verb)

English Meaning - improve, enhance, revamp, reform, make better

17.highlight (verb)

English Meaning - underline, emphasize, underscore, stress, call/draw attention to.

18.inadequacy (noun)

English Meaning - deficiency, shortage, insufficiency; fault, flaw, defect.

19.stationary (adjective)

English Meaning - unmoving, stopped, halted.

20.hit (verb)

English Meaning - crash into, collide with, run into, bang into, bump into.

21.interference (noun)

English Meaning - interruption, disruption, disturbance, obstruction; it is a process which changes or disrupts a signal while transmitting.

22.led to past participle of lead to (verb)

English Meaning - cause, result in, bring about, bring on, give rise to.

23.RED signal jump (noun)

English Meaning - It means a vehicle that crosses an intersection or a traffic signal when it is on RED.

24.Kavach (noun)

English Meaning - it is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system by the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) in collaboration with the Indian Railways.

25.indigenously (adverb)

English Meaning - in an indigenous (originating from native/local) manner, something is produced in a particular region/country.

26.regulation (noun)

English Meaning - rule, order, directive, requirement, guidance.

27.deeper comparative adjective of deep (adjective)

English Meaning - intense, serious.

28.plague (verb)

English Meaning - afflict, bother, disturb, trouble.

29.the functioning (noun)

English Meaning - performance, operation.

30.empanel (verb)

English Meaning - enrol, sign up, apply.

31.interlocking (noun)

English Meaning - Interlocking involves a set of apparatus placed on a track to manage the safe movement of trains and track configuration at stations and junctions. It prevents conflicting movements as a train gets a signal to proceed ahead only when its route is set, locked, and detected as safe. The signal apparatus in an interlocking system may be interconnected mechanically or electrically with the tracks or both. Electronic interlocking (EI) is an advanced version of signalling that uses computer-based systems and electronic equipment to control signals, points and level-crossing gates.

32.level crossing (noun)

English Meaning - a point/place at which a railway line and a road meet each other on the same level.

33.provision (noun)

English Meaning - supplying, giving, providing, allocation, distribution.

34.centralised (adjective)

English Meaning - bringing all processes together in one place.

35.Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK) (noun)

English Meaning - In 2017, the government had set up a dedicated non-lapsable fund, Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK), with a corpus of Rs one lakh crore. This fund had to be utilised over a period of five years starting FY 2017-18. This fund would be spent only on critical safety related works. According to an official document, from 2017-18 to 2021-22, the railways spent more than Rs 1 lakh crore on RRSK works. In February 2022, the government extended the validity of RRSK by another five years, starting 2022- 23.

36.upgradation (noun)

English Meaning - improvement, advancement, refinement.

37.(of) no value (phrase)

English Meaning - useless, worthless, pointless.

38.at the very least (phrase)

English Meaning - at least, to put it mildly, at the absolute minimum, without any exaggeration.

39.accountability (noun)

English Meaning - responsibility, liability, answerability.

40.see to it (phrase)

English Meaning - to ensure that something is done/dealt carefully; to make sure that…

41.draw (verb)

English Meaning - get, obtain, acquire, receive.

42.pool (noun)

English Meaning - a group of people (considered as a resource).

43.technocrat (noun)

English Meaning - a supporter of technocracy; a person who is with both political power as well as technical knowledge. technocracy (noun) - the government by a group of people with both political power as well as technical knowledge.

44.sooner (rather) than later (phrase)

English Meaning - fairly soon.

45.carry out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - conduct, perform, execute, implement, bring about.

46.holistic (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to an integrated/comprehensive/all-inclusive approach that improves the “whole” system instead of a particular section/branch of it.

47.revamp (noun)

English Meaning - overhaul, renovation, improvement, restoration, refurbishment, remodelling, makeover.