Corruption in Railways eating like cancer growing inside safety of passengers are being greatly compromised
Turnkey contractor in active connivance with the concerned officials didnтАЩt wrap the berth with fire barrier cloth and thus not only causing loss to the Railway but also playing with the life of passengers
Few days back, Mr Manish Tiwari, who is a senior Railway officer & presently posted as Joint Secretary in Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), had shared his bitter experience/observation on #Railwhispers with regard to the poor quality of recently turned out TEJAS Coaches by the MCF. According to him, quality of the coaches of such a prestigious rakes were so poor that merely 9 months old coaches were giving look of 19 years old.
Please Read once again his views:
“рднрд╛рд░рддреАрдп рдиреМрдХрд░рд╢рд╛рд╣реА рдХрд╛ рджреЛрдЧрд▓рд╛ рдЪрд░рд┐рддреНрд░!“
Such pitiable comments of a senior railway officer were cause of serious concern, and therefore, in order to find out the reasons behind pathetic and poor quality of coaches, we had been carrying our own discreet enquiry. During the course of enquiry, certain startling revelations came into picture –
Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP) items are extensively used in furnishing the coaches. As per specification – minimum glass percentage in such items (like lavatory module, side walls etc.) should be 28%. However, as per reliable sources, in none of these items, it is more than 15%. There is a criminal nexus between RITES and Vendors who are blindly passing such substandard items.
Even today, if those items are independently tested in any reputed laboratory, truthfulness of this fact would get established. Such substandard items are one of the main causes of poor quality of coaches.
It is an established fact that several accidents enquiry made in the past confirmed that fire basically emanates from the FRP items be it dust bin or lavatory or any other corner of such item.
Despite such an established fact, and contrary to the recommendations made by the High Power Committee, which was set up pursuant to the direction of Supreme Court in WP(C) 178/2014; Abhay Singh Vs Ministry of Railways – FST (fire, smoke & toxicity) tests were taken out from the ambit of acceptance tests.
As a result, all such fire prone materials are being supplied and used without conducting any FST tests, and thus compromising with the safety of lakhs of traveling passengers.
Fire retardant resin (FRR) one of the costlier raw materials, and therefore given an opportunity, tendency to avoid its use to maximize the profit is very obvious.
And, when specification itself has been framed in such manner that no such tests are necessary to keep a check on the quality, opportunity is automatic.
Consequently, it is serving the ‘mutual interests’ of suppliers and greedy railway officials who are sharing the undue and illegal profit, though at the cost of safety of the passengers.
Last year, RCF turned out large number of GARIB RATH Coaches, with cushioning material as PU Foam. It is a known fact that most of the death in the fire accidents occur due to toxic gases emanated from cushioning material.
Turnkey Contractor was permitted to supply and use such a critical item without conducting any test or inspection merely on the strength of self certification of the firm with regard to quality. FST testes were completely waived.
Sources say, even today, if a piece is taken out from these coaches and tested for FST properties, it would badly fail.
Most importantly, as per specification, in GARIB RATH Coaches turned out by Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala, cushioning material i.e. PU Foam was required to be wrapped with “fire barrier cloth” to prevent the spread of fire during fire accidents.
However, Turnkey contractor in active connivance with the concerned officials didnтАЩt wrap the berth with fire barrier cloth and thus not only causing loss to the Railway but also playing with the life of passengers.
The same turnkey contractor also furnished TEJAS Coaches at Modern Coach Factory (MCF), Raebareli. There also, he had played the identical trick. Cushioning material has not at all been wrapped with fire barrier cloth. Reliable sources say that even if one seat is checked to confirm the correctness of fact, truth will tumble out.
Interestingly, during his recent inspection of MCF, when ‘look after’ Member Traction & Rolling Stock (MTRS), Railway Board D.C.Sharma ordered to cut one of the seats used in the coaches meant for export to Mozambique, he himself was stunned to see that instead of fully wrapping the cushioning material with fire barrier cloth, turnkey contractor had┬а done it only one surface of the berth.
RDSO, in 2015, had issued clear instructions that under no circumstances, PU Foam to CG-04 having a toxicity index more than 1 (one) should be allowed. However, the then PCME/MCF relaxed this condition for TEJAS coaches, and allowed the turnkey contractor to supply it with the Toxicity index of 2.5, who in turn, further diluted it to more than 5.
Thus, TEJAS coaches are running today with berths having highly toxic PU Foam as cushioning material, and that too, without any fire barrier cloth, with which berths were required to be wrapped with.
This is an awakening call for HonтАЩble Minister for Railways and Chairman & CEO, Railway Board and hope that they would order in-depth investigation and monitor it at their level.
Represented by Suresh Tripathi