Govt depts at odds over Frontier Mail fire probe

LUDHIANA: Nine months after the Frontier Mail fire tragedy at Laddowal in which 38 people lost their lives, the Government Railway Police (GRP) top brass has come out with diverging views on the inquiry report of the Railway Safety Commission. They have also questioned the subsequent closure of the case and the auction of the damaged coaches.
The three bogies which had caught fire are learnt to have been auctioned for Rs 12 lakh as scrap from the Ludhiana Railway yard.While the auction has been conducted by the Railway authorities, who believe that the inquiry and investigations in the case are complete, the GRP thinks otherwise.
S C Jain, ADGP, GRP, during a recent visit to Ludhiana did not mince words about the Railway Safety Commission’s uncooperative attitude. He said that Bhupinder Singh Bhunder, Commissioner, Railway Safety, did not pay heed to their requests to join GRP’s investigations.
Jain said the GRP did not agree with the report submitted by Bhunder that there were some "sort of chemicals" aboard the train which caused the fire to spread rapidly in the three coaches.
He said the GRP would like to conduct its own inquiry. Dharam Singh, Divisional Regional Manager, who took charge on Saturday, made it clear that the railway authorities had to wait for no other report but that of the Commissioner, Railway safety, before auctioning the coaches. He added the report was submitted to the Railway board, which had initiated action against the staff found erring.
He also stated that as per the protocol it was not mandatory for the Commissioner to participate in GRP investigations as the Railway Safety Commission is an independent organisation under the Minister for Civil Aviation.
Karamjit Singh, AIG, GRP, does not see the matter in the same light. He states that no matter what the protocol, the GRP is working in interest of the Railway property, and the railway authorities and the Railway Safety Commission should have cooperated with them in a better way.
He said the Commissioner had agreed to participate in the GRP investigations, provided the General Manager, Railways, was to ask them to do so. As this did not happen, the Railways went ahead with auction and the dismantling of the coaches, while the GRP investigations had to be abandoned midway.