Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu yesterday offered to resign following two major train accidents in recent days that sparked widespread criticism over poor rail safety in the country.
Early yesterday, 81 people were injured after an express train derailed in Uttar Pradesh.
It came four days after another derailment claimed the lives of 23 passengers in the same state.
The tragedy was blamed on negligence by railway staff.
“I am extremely pained by the unfortunate accidents, injuries to passengers and loss of precious lives.It has caused me deep anguish,” Prabhu wrote on Twitter.
“I met the Hon’ble Prime Minister @narendramodi taking full moral responsibility. PM has asked me to wait,” he tweeted.
Media reports said it was now up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi whether to accept the resignation.
As Prabhu did not specifically mention his offer to resign and was also not available for comment, reporters put the question to Finance and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley.
“Well, accountability is a good system in government,” Jaitley said.
“The prime minister will take a decision on whatever request the railways minister has made.”
The development came hours after Ashok Mittal, chairman of the Railway Board, or the administrative head of the railways, stepped down.
Mittal, who had been in the post since 2014, will be succeeded by Ashwani Lohani, a former engineer credited with helping state-run Air India turn its first profit after over a decade of losses.
“Mr Lohani has been appointed as the chairman of Railway Board. Mr Mittal’s resignation has been accepted,” a railway official said.
Lohani was made Air India chairman two years ago on the back of his success in turning around the India Tourism Development Corporation and the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation.
In recent days, opposition leaders have attacked Prabhu over the accidents and demanded his resignation, saying he should be personally responsible for the poor safety standards of the railways.
“The railway ministry has failed to provide managerial leadership. Prabhu failed to provide leadership, roadmap or vision to railways,” Congress spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala said.
“The minister has utterly failed. We had earlier demanded his resignation. He has said on Twitter, instead of coming forward and facing the media, that he takes responsibility. This responsibility business will not do. Either Modi should sack the minister or should accept his resignation. It is time for the PM to lay down a roadmap of safety for railways.”
In yesterday’s accident, 81 people were injured when 12 coaches of the Kaifiyat Express derailed in Auraiya district in the second such accident in Uttar Pradesh in five days, authorities said.
The incident took place when the New Delhi-bound train from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh hit a truck which had overturned on the rail tracks between Achalda and Pata stations around 2.40am, a railway official said.
Four of the passengers suffered serious head injuries and were rushed to a hospital in Etawah, police said.
The truck was ferrying sand for a dedicated railway freight corridor running parallel to the track, Inspector General of Police Alok Singh said.
But officials in Delhi disputed this version.
“The train hit an unknown dumper. The dumper does not belong to the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd or its contractor,” its Deputy General Manager Rajesh Khare said.
Besides the engine, 12 coaches of the train ran off the tracks.
There have been several rail accidents in India over the past year.
A crash in Uttar Pradesh in November left 149 people dead, making it the deadliest train accident in the country in the past five years.
Policemen look at derailed train carriages after an accident in Auraiya district in Uttar Pradesh yesterday. At least 81 passengers were injured after several compartments of the express train derailed, four days after another rail accident killed 23 people in the state.
Policemen look at derailed train carriages after an accident in Auraiya district in Uttar Pradesh yesterday. At least 81 passengers were injured after several compartments of the express train derailed, four days after another rail accident killed 23 people in the state.
