A day after the Kalinga Utkal Express derailed near Khatauli, Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, an audio clip has surfaced that points at alleged carelessness on part of the Railways.
The audio clip captures a conversation between a gateman and a railway official, in which the gateman alleges that the railway track was broken, and the work to repair it was not being done properly.
The gateman alleges that a portion of the track was cut but not welded, and the workers left their machines at the spot without finishing the task.
The gateman alleges that the track was not repaired when the Kalinga Utkal Express approached Khatauli. Neither was the train shown any signal, nor any red flag, the gateman alleges.
During the course of the conversation, the gateman alleges that most of the workers repairing the tracks were careless, and spent their time doing little work. According to him, a new junior engineer (JE) was recently appointed in the area, but most workers, especially old-timers, never listened to him.
It has been alleged that following the Kalinga Utkal Express derailment, the gangman on duty, welder and the JE fled the spot with the latter even switching off his phone.
This audio clip substantiates the initial reports of alleged careless and negligence by Railway workers and officials. The authenticity of the audio clip, however, is yet to be verified.
General Manager, Northern Railway, Rajiv Kulshetra said, “I have heard about the audio clip. If required, the clip will be examined by the investigating agencies… Will see if it can be used an evidence (sic)”.
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