The general public’s response to the tragic train derailment in Odisha’s Balasore was exemplary. They initiated the rescue efforts, helped the survivors in various ways, transported the injured to hospitals, lined up to donate blood, etc. It reveals the sense of community that exists among people, irrespective of circumstances. It was a period of great crisis for the nation as it involved victims from many states, particularly Odisha, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. It was expected that, at least for some time, the focus would remain on the ground situation, with the Railway Minister, Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, senior Railway officials and others responding as they should. Extraordinary professionalism has been shown by the rescue and medical services, as well as the Railway teams, in dealing with the aftermath of the tragedy.
Unfortunately, despite political parties’ official position that other issues would be raised later, many among the opposition could not resist the temptation to attack the Union Government, make irresponsible statements and claims, and basically ‘play politics’. The people have, hopefully, taken note of who these were and will judge them accordingly.
It has been the convention that Railway Ministers offer to resign after such tragedies and, considering the scale of the present one, hopefully incumbent Ashwini Vaishnaw will do the honourable thing. It would help bring the focus back on the real issues. The political fallout can be dealt with later.
Most people were unaware before this incident that the control of train movements has shifted from the mechanical to electronic systems. The interlocking system that is believed to have failed involves the integration of signal points and track circuits. It ensures that movable sections of track are properly aligned and locked in the correct position before a train can pass over them. Electrical circuits installed on the track detect the presence of a train, enabling the system to control the train movements with the help of software, computers and communication networks. This is modern technology at work. While, earlier, there were failsafe human-operated switches that were ‘locked’ in place and could not be operated unless the lines had been properly aligned, now the same is done electronically. It will be difficult, therefore, to apportion responsibility in the case of a glitch in the software. More will become known in the days to come, but kudos to all the heroes who dealt with the tragedy in the best possible way given the circumstances; and a big thumbs-down to those who could not wait to make it political.
