Holding talks with state govts, police to prevent train sabotage bids: Railway Minister Vaishnaw

Jaipur: Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday said the railway administration is on alert for potential train sabotage bids and is holding talks with the administration and police in several states to prevent any untoward incident.

The central government treats security threats with the utmost seriousness and strict action will be taken against anyone attempting to sabotage trains, the railway minister told reporters at the Jaipur airport.

"This is our commitment," he added.

Vaishnaw arrived here on Tuesday to inspect a Kavach-fitted train to check the efficiency of the automatic train protection system at Sawai Madhopur.

According to railway officials, the minister will board the Kavach-fitted engine of a train at 4 pm at the Sawai Madhopur railway station and travel for 45 minutes up to the Indargarh station.

He is also scheduled to inspect a roof plaza constructed at the Gandhi Nagar railway station in Jaipur.

Speaking to reporters, Vaishnaw said, "There is dialogue going on with state governments, DGPs and home secretaries. The NIA is also involved. Strict action will be taken against anyone who tries to cause such an accident. This is our resolve."

He also said that the entire railway administration in divisions and zones was working with vigilance with the Railway Protection Force and local state police across the country.

After reaching Jaipur, the railway minister called on Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma.

Later, he interacted with BJP workers at Bhatia Bhawan in the Rajapark area of the city.

The Kavach system, also known as an Automatic Train Protection System (ATP), has been developed by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation, and it can apply brakes automatically in an emergency when a train driver fails to act in time.

The railway ministry has been working on this project for the last eight years to bring the rail network under the Kavach system in a phased manner.