क्या करेगा कवच : कहीं ये आपदा में अवसर तो नहीं?
There is unusually strong #Media-push that #Kavach is being implemented in mission mode-
28 Sept: “Government moves fast to install latest Kavach safety system on Railway tracks”
13 Nov: “Railways switches to fast track for Kavach rollout”
Why Kavach Needs Safety Review?
Till now, Kavach has only been promoted and proven on social media. The #key-architectural flaws have not been discussed in any forum.
First and foremost, #Kavach only protects when #interlocking fails. Also, it is established that Kavach takes inputs from existing #signalling system. So how on earth can one believe that this #system works beyond social media reels?
Demand of Railway Experts
Railway experts have suggested that Kavach needs examination from first principles. Today dominant #vendors are pushing Kavach. #Kavach requires creation of assets which will be under #AMC. Assets will touch every mobile asset of #IndianRailways (IR), every kilometre of #track, every #point, #crossing, every #station, every #block hut. Annual expenses of more than ₹10,000 crore is being talked by experts who spent life time in operating trains and fighting for safety.
The complexity being created in name of Kavach is mind boggling. Who has examined this aspect? No one !
Is there an independent expert to do this in IR? Again none !
Those who can ask questions are well sidelined. Those who are heard are the ones who are either direct beneficiaries or those who created the system. #ISA (Independent Safety Assessor) reports are only on design.
Recent #accident in #Talerdigg in #UK was on #ETCS Level-2 territory, which clearly shows that signalling interventions can only arrest small classes of accidents only.
See our article of 11 Nov: “A Collision in UK on ETCS Level-2 has big lessons for Indian Railways”
Why is #IR not focused on setting right it’s interlocking?
As the system draws its inputs from existing signalling system, #Balasore type of #accidents which created artificial push for Kavach, sadly cannot be avoided. Please recollect that in Balasore, wiring of signalling circuit was tinkered with. many such accidents have been occurring with alarming regularity-Kavach cannot prevent them. So think, #KyaKaregaKavach?
Increase in #complexity by multifold is a cause of serious concern. Every #railwayman worth his salt understands that #Safety lies in simplicity, not in complexity.
One aspect which is dark reality of Indian Railways’ signalling is excessive intervention and dependence on vendors. Even #RDSO or #RailwayBoard officials cannot sit in their chairs and exercise their authority independently without tacit nod of these powerful vendors. This intervention was inherited by #NDA government in 2014. However, with failure to control and tame Khan Market Gang (#KMG), record investment pumped by #government just emboldened them.
Extract of #CRS report of #KanchenjungaExpress accident shared by a #whistleblower. #KyaKaregaKavach when basic communication equipment is not available, look at the sheer number of #MSDAC failures? When existing #signalling-gear has such high rate of failure with IR drawing blank in its investigations due to #vendor dependence, how would far more complex system built on top of this signalling system perform? Who will give answers? Such recommendations create opportunity in distress and disaster, which officers call as – “आपदा में अवसर!”
Failure of railway #Vigilance is case in point. Support to #Vigilance-trimurti beyond tenures and beyond superannuation tells a story. Record #CBI cases show colossal failure of #Railway-Vigilance which is busy in doing encounter of careers with active support and connivance of teesri manjil of #RailBhawan. Posting of a defaulter officer as #CVO of RDSO is case in point. This officer was transferred after #Railwhispers exposed this. It is said that this officer was brought to assist some and target others in S&T department and vendors.
PM Sir, Please Listen
Instead of being forced to do an expensive and embarrassing u-turn on Kavach, as done in case of #IRMS, Government of India must urgently examine Kavach from #fundamental-principles. Mess of IRMS will continue to haunt IR for several decades now. Kavach also promises a similar mess by modifying every #locomotive, every #trainset, every #local, every #point & #crossing, every #IBH, every #station, etc. #CLW’s tender promises to lead to modification of entire IR fleet in just a year! Remember that this includes tinkering with #brake-circuits. How can we forget mess of #BMBS?
See our story of 30 Dec 22: “बीएमबीएस में ‘जानी-पहचानी विसंगति’ थी, तो यह सिस्टम बीस सालों से लगातार जारी क्यों रहा?”
Focus should be on freedom from vendor dependence and setting right the interlocking. Kavach at its heart only avoids collisions. #Collisions can be avoided by just setting right interlocking and engineering interventions to improve its resilience against tampering. This aspect should be RDSO’s priority no. 1.
Kavach today is as promising as was IRMS after fateful December 2019 #ChintanShivir orchestrated by the same officer who was paradropped as Mr Ashwini Vaishnaw’s advisor.
Note: Why simplicity is important? A senior retired officer who saw his career taking double encounters from #KMG czars mentioned that, “creation of additional layer of IRMS empanelment for Level-16 and Level-17 has killed the morale and sent chill down the spine of entire top leadership of IR. #Modus-operandi is to first create acceptance of complexity and then game it. Introduction of additional layer called empanelment was such complexity in otherwise straight forward system”.
He argues that creation of complexity in not just signalling, but in every #asset-fixed and #rolling is such an attempt.