DERAILED PRIORITIES: ON UTKAL EXPRESS DERAILMENT
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu took several Rail Bhawan mandarins(रूढ़ि-प्रिय/अकर्मण्य/दिग्गज) to task within hours of the latest tragedy on the tracks. Thirteen coaches of the Puri-Haridwar Utkal Expressderailed(पटरीसेउतारना) at Khatauli, near Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh,
killing at least 23 people. A portion of the track had been disjointed(जोडअलगकरना) and was being welded(जोड़ देना) in order to be put back in place as part of ‘routine maintenance’. But no one bothered(चिंतित/परेशान/व्यथित) to put a traffic blockade(नाकाबन्दी) in place, as required, and the welding could not be completed before the train passed through. A probe(जाच पडताल करना) by the Commissioner of Railway Safety may reveal(प्रकट करना) whether this was a systemic communication failure or an instance(उदाहरणविशेष) of a casual(इत्तफ़ाक़ का/आकस्मिक) approach to a task that needed to be done but could have waited if traffic blocks were not feasible(संभव/साध्य/व्यवहार्य) that day.Reposing(विश्राम करना/तसल्ली) confidence in the inquiry process may appear difficult as the CRS is yet toconclude(पूराकरना) its investigation into one of the deadliest railway mishaps(दुर्घटना) in the past decade: the Indore-Patna Express crash near Kanpur last November, that killed 152 passengers. That process may have been muddied(धुंधला करना/गंदा बनाना) by suggestions of sabotage(तोड़-फोड़/गड़बड़ करना), from the highest levels of government, and accountability(जवाबदेही) is yet to be fixed. But in Khatauli, evidence is available of serious lapses(चूक), including an audio recording of railway officers conceding(स्वीकार करना) bungling(विफल/घपला) over the maintenance work.Two engineers have been suspended, another has been transferred, and three top officials, including a Railway Board member in charge of engineering and tracks, have been asked to go on leave as ‘exemplary(अनुकरणीय/ कठोर/उदाहरणात्मक) punishment’. Action against Railway Board members is rare, and this sends out a strong signal. However, it is no substitute(प्रतिनिधी/ स्थानापन्न व्यक्ति) for a larger course correction. Nearly 70% of the 303 rail accidents reported between 2012-13 and 2015-16 were caused by carelessness of railway staff, which includes shortcuts in maintenance work and failure to heed(ध्यान देना/सावधानी) safety norms. Derailments — often caused by defects in the tracks or the rolling stock — have been the second biggest reason for accidents and casualties(हताहत/दुर्घटनाग्रस्तव्यक्ति) over the past decade. The Railways has over 1.14 lakh km of tracks, but their renewal, the Ministry told the Parliamentary Committee on Railways, depends on the financial resources allotted in a given year rather than the length of tracks that need refreshing. The induction(आगमन/प्रवेश) of coaches with anti-climbing features, that could minimise fatalities(भाग्यवशता/मृत्यु/विपत्ति) in incidents like Khatauli, remains far too sluggish(आलसी/निष्क्रिय). A five-year corporate safety plan, first announced in the Rail Budget for 2015-16, has been drafted(मसौदाबनाना/लिखना), but is yet to be approved. Humans err, but when the system turns a blind eye to the obvious needs of a public utility, the wake-up call needs to go beyond rapping(थप्पड़ मारना/अभियोग) a few officers. As the Railways itself has said, unless operations are safe, there are no operations.
killing at least 23 people. A portion of the track had been disjointed(जोडअलगकरना) and was being welded(जोड़ देना) in order to be put back in place as part of ‘routine maintenance’. But no one bothered(चिंतित/परेशान/व्यथित) to put a traffic blockade(नाकाबन्दी) in place, as required, and the welding could not be completed before the train passed through. A probe(जाच पडताल करना) by the Commissioner of Railway Safety may reveal(प्रकट करना) whether this was a systemic communication failure or an instance(उदाहरणविशेष) of a casual(इत्तफ़ाक़ का/आकस्मिक) approach to a task that needed to be done but could have waited if traffic blocks were not feasible(संभव/साध्य/व्यवहार्य) that day.Reposing(विश्राम करना/तसल्ली) confidence in the inquiry process may appear difficult as the CRS is yet toconclude(पूराकरना) its investigation into one of the deadliest railway mishaps(दुर्घटना) in the past decade: the Indore-Patna Express crash near Kanpur last November, that killed 152 passengers. That process may have been muddied(धुंधला करना/गंदा बनाना) by suggestions of sabotage(तोड़-फोड़/गड़बड़ करना), from the highest levels of government, and accountability(जवाबदेही) is yet to be fixed. But in Khatauli, evidence is available of serious lapses(चूक), including an audio recording of railway officers conceding(स्वीकार करना) bungling(विफल/घपला) over the maintenance work.Two engineers have been suspended, another has been transferred, and three top officials, including a Railway Board member in charge of engineering and tracks, have been asked to go on leave as ‘exemplary(अनुकरणीय/ कठोर/उदाहरणात्मक) punishment’. Action against Railway Board members is rare, and this sends out a strong signal. However, it is no substitute(प्रतिनिधी/ स्थानापन्न व्यक्ति) for a larger course correction. Nearly 70% of the 303 rail accidents reported between 2012-13 and 2015-16 were caused by carelessness of railway staff, which includes shortcuts in maintenance work and failure to heed(ध्यान देना/सावधानी) safety norms. Derailments — often caused by defects in the tracks or the rolling stock — have been the second biggest reason for accidents and casualties(हताहत/दुर्घटनाग्रस्तव्यक्ति) over the past decade. The Railways has over 1.14 lakh km of tracks, but their renewal, the Ministry told the Parliamentary Committee on Railways, depends on the financial resources allotted in a given year rather than the length of tracks that need refreshing. The induction(आगमन/प्रवेश) of coaches with anti-climbing features, that could minimise fatalities(भाग्यवशता/मृत्यु/विपत्ति) in incidents like Khatauli, remains far too sluggish(आलसी/निष्क्रिय). A five-year corporate safety plan, first announced in the Rail Budget for 2015-16, has been drafted(मसौदाबनाना/लिखना), but is yet to be approved. Humans err, but when the system turns a blind eye to the obvious needs of a public utility, the wake-up call needs to go beyond rapping(थप्पड़ मारना/अभियोग) a few officers. As the Railways itself has said, unless operations are safe, there are no operations.
1.Feasible(संभव/साध्य/व्यवहार्य)
Synonyms:- practical, workable, achievable, attainable, viable
2.Muddied(धुंधला करना/गंदा बनाना)
Synonyms:- murky, turbid, dingy, dirty, squashy
3.Sabotage(तोड़-फोड़/गड़बड़ करना)
Synonyms:- counteract, countermine, subvert, undermine, weaken
4.Bungling(विफल/घपला)
Synonyms:- clumsy, fumbling, incompetent, mishandle, mismanage
5.Exemplary(अनुकरणीय/ कठोर/उदाहरणात्मक)
Synonyms:- admonitory, cautionary, monitory, warning, emblematic
6.Substitute(प्रतिनिधी/स्थानापन्न व्यक्ति)
Synonyms:- relief, interchange, replace, deputize,alternate
7.Induction(आगमन/प्रवेश)
Synonyms:- elicitation, evocation, installation, inductance, initiation
USE AADHAAR FOR FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS
Sebi’s reported plan to make Aadhaar, a person’s unique identification number, compulsory for stock trading is welcome. It will create audit trails, curb (नियंत्रण/प्रतिबंध) money laundering (काले धन को वैध) and tax evasion (टालना/अपवंचन/छल)through the stock markets.
Already, large financial transactions are tagged to the tax department’s Permanent Account Number (PAN). Quoting of PAN is mandatory for, say, opening a demat account, investment in mutual funds and even trading in unlisted shares beyondprescribed (निर्धारित) limits. However, PAN is not foolproof. To weed out duplicate PANs, the government has mandated linking PAN with Aadhaar.
Eventually, PAN will become redundant (निरर्थक/अनावश्यक) at least for individuals and should be phased out. Already, over a billion people have secured their Aadhaar, compared to about 30 crore people who have PAN cards. Instead of multiple identifiers, Aadhaar should become the single identifier that should be tagged to all financial transactions.
The Railways is also reportedly setting up a Rs 1,00,000 crore safety fund, as recommended by the Kakodkar committee. But the investment backlog, when it comes to rail safety, is massive (विशाल/व्यापक/बड़ा), and we need organisational changes and attendant revamp (सुधार). True, since 2016-17, the rail minister has stepped up the annual track renewal target to 2,950 km, up from just about 1,028 earlier.
However, despite the faster rate of track renewal, it would take the Railways some 40 years to complete the task nationally over 1.2 lakh km. Hence the pressing need to better manage operations. Callous (कठोर/घट्टेदार/निर्दयी) failure tocoordinate (समन्वय/समायोजन करना) repair work with train movement, as happened in Khatauli, must not recur, ever.
In parallel, there’s the express need for a statutory and empowered Railway Safety Authority as called for by the Kakodkar panel, for vetting routine rail safety and maintenance. A complete change of track is warranted. This authority must be answerable to Parliament.
1. Curb (नियंत्रण/प्रतिबंध)
Synonyms: Restraint, Restriction, Check, Brake, Rein, Control, Limitation
2. Launder (काले धन को वैध बनाना)
Synonyms: Wash, Wash ,Clean, Dry-clean
3. Evasion (टालना/अपवंचन/छल)
Synonyms: Avoidance, Elusion, Circumvention, Dodging
4. Redundant (निरर्थक/अनावश्यक)
Synonyms: Unnecessary, Inessential, Unessential, Needless
5. Massive (विशाल/व्यापक/बड़ा)
Synonyms: Huge, Enormous, Vast, Immense, Large, Big, Great, Colossal, Tremendous
6. Revamp (सुधार)
Synonyms: Renovate, Redecorate, Refurbish, Recondition, Rehabilitate
