New Delhi. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav, who is facing political criticism over train accidents, said on Wednesday that the national transport service is the lifeline of the country and there should be no political allegations and counter-allegations about it. Vaishnav said that some disturbing facts have come to light in some incidents but the Railways is conducting a detailed investigation of each incident.
He said this in response to a question regarding the incidents of train derailment due to objects like stones and rods being placed on railway tracks. Vaishnav said, “In some incidents, some facts have come to light which are disturbing and need to be taken seriously.” Talking to reporters after the cabinet meeting, the Railway Minister said, “Railways and defense are such areas which should not be politicized. I believe that railways should not be made a subject of political allegations and counter-allegations.” Vaishnav said that railways are the lifeline of the country and if anything negative happens then every effort should be made to ensure that train services are operated efficiently.
Responding to another question, the Railway Minister said that the Railways has added 5,300 km of railway lines to the existing network during the last one year. Vaishnav said, “Ten years ago, the average speed of construction in the Railways was four kilometers per day. Today it is 14.5 kilometers per day.” He said that all the approved railway projects will be completed in the next five years.
When asked about recruitment in railways, Vaishnav said that the government has prepared a recruitment calendar to fill the vacancies in railways.
He said, “Four quarters have been linked to a particular category of employment. The first quarter i.e. January to March has been set for the recruitment of loco pilots, the second quarter for hiring technicians and junior engineers, the third quarter for the recruitment of non-technical staff and the fourth quarter for level-1 officers.”