Those responsible for Balasore train tragedy idenfied: nothing to do with Kavach: Railway Minister

Balasore (Odisha)

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw who reviewed the restoration work at the Balasore triple train collision site on Sunday, said that the accident that claimed the lives of 288 passengers happened due to a change in electronic interlocking.

The Balasore train accident where two passenger trains and a goods carriage were involved claimed 288 lives so far while over 1,000 people sustained injuries.

 Ashwini Vaishnaw while speaking to ANI said that the commissioner of railway safety has investigated the matter and identified the cause of the incident and the people responsible for it.

 "The commissioner of railway safety has investigated the matter and let the investigation report come but we have identified the cause of the incident and the people responsible for it... It happened due to a change in electronic interlocking," Vaishnaw told ANI.

 The Railway Minister further added the focus right now is on the restoration and the target is to finish the work by Wednesday morning.

After West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee questioned the Railways over absence of 'Kavach' system citing it as the reason behind the Balasore triple train tragedy, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the accident has nothing to do with anti-collision system.

Mamata Banerjee arrived the accident site in Balasore on Saturday to take stock of rescue operations and questioned why the Centre's 'Kavach' system was missing from the track of the collision.

 Kavach is an indigenous Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) developed by the Ministry of Railways.

 Vaishnaw while speaking to ANI said that the accident happened due to a change in electronic interlocking.

"It has nothing to do with Kavach. The reason is not what Mamata Banerjee said yesterday. This incident happened due to a change in electronic interlocking," the Railway Minister told ANI.

"This is an entirely different issue, it involves point machine, electronic interlocking. The change that occurred during electronic interlocking happened due to it. Whoever did it and how it happened will be found out after a proper investigation," he added.

Mamata Banerjee who was the Railway Minister twice termed the incident the "biggest railway accident of the 21st century" and said that this would not have happened if Kavach system was present.