Railways' Jamalpur institute becomes centralised training hub

Patna: In a significant development, Indian Railways Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (IRIMEE) located at Jamalpur in Bihar has added a new feather to its cap after the Railway Board approved the merger of Indian Railways Institute of Disaster Management (IRIDM), Bengaluru, with IRIMEE.Following the notification issued by the Railway Board recently, the administrative control of IRIDM will now come under IRIMEE, Jamalpur. With this move, the railways has decided to transform the combined entity into a centralised training institute (CTI) catering to multiple wings of railway personnel across the country, said IRIMEE director general Animesh Kumar Sinha.Known for its excellence in crane production and technical training since 1888, IRIMEE will now expand its role by imparting specialised training in disaster management alongside its existing programmes. The integration is expected to enhance the institute’s capabilities and streamline training efforts under a unified administrative structure, Sinha said.According to Sinha, the institute has already been actively engaged in disaster management training. Recently, a delegation from Tanzania underwent specialised training to handle complex accident scenario including bridges and water bodies at the institute, highlighting its growing international recognition in this domain, he said adding IRIDM , Bengaluru, has thus become an extended campus of the IRIMEE.The merger is being seen as a strategic step by the railways to strengthen preparedness and capacity-building in disaster response while leveraging IRIMEE’s long-standing expertise in technical education and training, Sinha said.According to sources, Bengaluru based IRIDIM was set up six years ago to impart advanced training in disaster management system. During six years of its existence the institute had provided training to about 14,000 railway personnel from various railway sectors in the disaster management in particular, sources said.