Days after the Odisha train accident, the Indian Railways has now asked all zones to carry out a special safety drive to ensure double locking of signalling equipment and relay rooms.
In an order issued on Monday, the Ministry also said that all zones should check that the double locking system – wherein the station master and the signalling staff both keep one key – is followed strictly.
This order was issued a day after the Ministry said that it suspects that there has been some manipulation of the signalling system that caused the Odisha mishap on Friday.
The order said the zones will also need to check that there is data logging and generation of SMS alerts for opening and closing of relay rooms.
Also, it was directed that during the drive, it should be ensured that the disconnection and reconnection for signalling equipment is done as per laid down norms and guidelines.
“All goomties housing signalling equipment within station limits should be checked and ensured for being provided with double locking arrangements," the order said.
Further, the relay rooms in the stations should also be checked for double locking.
The Ministry has said that all locations in each zone should be checked and at least 10 per cent of the areas should be double-checked by the officers.
Speaking to News18, a Ministry official on Sunday had said that the electronic interlocking system is very robust and it is likely that it was manipulated.
On being asked if it was a system issue or manually manipulated, the official added that “it is possible it was manipulated manually".
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