Shah said the CBI, NIA, Railway Police and the Home Ministry were preparing a plan for protecting the railway network to ensure that there is no sabotage | (Photo: PTI)
Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said any conspiracy to cause rail accidents would not last long and the government would soon come up with an initiative to protect the 1.10 lakh kilometre long railway network across the country.
The interior minister’s comments followed a series of rail accidents, most of which appeared to be attempts at sabotage involving obstructions placed on the tracks.
Addressing a press conference to mark the 100th day of the third term of the BJP-led NDA government, Shah said he had spoken to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw over the issue of railway safety over the past two days.
“As far as accidents are concerned, we will investigate the root cause of it. Whatever the reason, the government is determined to tackle the problem. If this is a conspiracy, it will not take long. If there are gaps, they will be plugged,” Shah said with Vaishnaw by his side.
Shah said the CBI, NIA, Railway Police and the Ministry of Home Affairs were preparing a plan for security of the railway network to prevent sabotage.
“We have critically reviewed the recent incidents and will formulate a plan to address them,” Shah said.
The Congress alleged that there had been 38 train accidents in the first 100 days of the Modi government’s third term and accused Vaishnaw of dismissing them as “minor incidents”.
Shah said the rail network has been expanded during the Modi government and the people have witnessed it.
The interior minister said that in the first 100 days since taking office for the third consecutive term, the government has approved eight new railway projects for faster and more comfortable rail travel.
Shah said these projects are expected to generate 4.42 crore human days of employment.
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First publication: Sep 17, 2024 | 2:24 PM IST