South Goa’s Congress MP Francisco Sardinha said on Monday that the Union government should stop the launch of Vande Bharat Express trains and also decrease its speed till a proper system is put in place to avoid Odhisa-like train accidents.
Addressing a press conference here, the Congress MP said that the present infrastructure is inadequate and there was human negligence as far as the Odhisa train accident is concerned.
Incidentally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to flag off the first Vande Bharat Express train from Goa on Saturday, but the event was cancelled in the wake of the deadly train accident in Odisha’s Balasore district on Friday evening that left 275 people dead.
“We don’t want more accidents and deaths. Even the speed limit of these (Vande Bharat) trains should be decreased till proper equipment is installed to avoid such mishaps,” he said.
The MP said that the impact of the accident needs to be understood as it happened due to human negligence.
“This train accident was a man-made disaster which was caused by utter human negligence and serious lapses in the system,” he said.
The Congress MP also said that those responsible for the accident should not only face suspension, but be put behind bars.
Sardinha said that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi is serious about taking action against the guilty, he should first sack Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
“The Railways Minister should resign. He has failed to put a proper system in place to avoid accidents. He is responsible for what has happened. The accident has pained many families who have lost their near and dear ones,” Sardinha said.
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