SATISH HANDA

Railway Board has blacklisted three firms including two at Howrah and Hoogly in West Bengal and one at Mandi Gobindgarh in Punjab supplied underweight steel structures installed on the railway tracks to support electric cables by Railway Electrification Department now posing threat to the security of passengers travelling in the trains. D.B. Singh a senior officer of railway vigilance department vide letter dated May 19, 2018 raised a question over procurement and installation of underweight steel structures from these firms. Now Railway Board has directed not to purchase steel structures from these firms already blacklisted by the railways and recover amount of compensation from these firms supplied substandard underweight material installed on the railway tracks between Jammu to Udhampur, Udhampur to Katra, Ghaziabad to Moradabad and Kozikod to Kunoor. Singh said, these steel structures are not matching with the specifications prescribed by Railway Research Design Standard Organization (RDSO) Lucknow posing a threat to the life of passengers travelling in the trains.

Deputy Chief Electrical Engineer Jammu also wrote to Chief Project Director (CPD) Railway Electrification Department Ambala Cantt to submit an audit report after thorough investigation in the case as regard supply of underweight steel structures and action taken against responsible railway officers neglect during installation of steel structures on the railway tracks for the reasons best known to them. Information reveals that the firms supplied steel structures up to 19% lesser in weight as per supply orders and no action was taken by the concerned railway officers against suppliers of steel structures, staff in whose presence the same were installed and stern action not taken so far against defaulter suppliers to replace these steel structures and recover compensation amount worth Rs five crore.

Information reveals, special investigation team checked the steel structure stocks left during installation of structures between Udhampur and Katra lying in company’s store at Jammu, which were found underweight. Meanwhile, Amitabh Sharma Public Relation Officer Railway Electrification head office Allahabad during his visit to Chief Project Director’s office at Ambala Cantt told that action will be taken against seven officers involved in this neglect and delay in takig action against defaulters and show-cause notices has been served to them.