Railway orders 15-day intensive safety drive
New Delhi (PTI): In the wake of the Sunday collision between two trains in Andhra Pradesh that killed at least 14 people, the Railway Board has issued directions to all zones to conduct an intensive two-week safety dive from October 31.
"Recent cases of SPADs (signal passed at danger) and accidents call for a resolve to strengthen alertness and enforcement of laid down practices and protocols in train operations," the board said in a letter sent to the general managers of all railway zones on October 30.
"Towards this, an Intensive Safety Drive of 2 weeks is to be launched immediately from 31-10-2023 to 14-11-2023, involving officers at all levels," the letter, accessed by PTI, added.
The board has listed 23 safety aspects and directed the zonal railways to emphasise these during the drive. It says that the officers and loco inspectors should randomly travel in the engine, especially at night, to see if safety norms are obeyed by the crew.
It has further said that loco inspectors should check physically as well as with the monitoring of the Crew Voice and Video Recording System (CVVRS) whether the crew -- loco pilot (LP) and assistant loco pilot (ALP) -- are calling out all signals loudly and clearly to each other (one of the crucial operation safety norms).
The loco inspectors are also asked to see whether the crew is using mobile phones while driving the train as the use of mobile phones is strictly prohibited for the drivers while the train is in operation.
The board wants the crew to be specifically monitored for their ability to handle the train at the yellow signal and in gradients so that they can stop promptly at red signals.
"The letter has asked loco inspectors to see how the crew controls the train in an automatic block system in which signals automatically work by the passage of the trains," a senior officer from one of the zones said, requesting anonymity.
He added, "Besides, the Board directs zones to monitor if the crew is following all speed restrictions meticulously and using the right braking technique for different types of loads. Crew medical conditions are also to be ascertained. The Board has also asked zones to see if qualitative family counselling sessions for the crew are being held."
The board has asked the zones to monitor whether the crew gets proper rest and if unusual instances and genuine grievances reported by them have been timely addressed.
"All the zones have to upload the weekly progress report of the drive on the system provided to them," the officer said.
But the train drivers' unions have called the board's initiative just another eyewash and a face-saving measure after two major train accidents within a fortnight.
They say that 10 to 15 per cent of posts of loco pilots are vacant in a majority of divisions and almost the same percentage is of those train drivers who are forced to work more than 12 hours.
Sanjay Pandhi, working president of the Indian Railway Loco Runningmen Organisation (IRLRO), shared a response of the Railway Board in 2010 to an application under the RTI Act in which the board had admitted that there is no provision for breakfast, lunch or dinner breaks for train drivers.
"The situation hasn't changed even today. The use of the word 'exigencies' in the working hours guidelines of the Railway goes in its favour. It says that they can use the crew beyond the limits prescribed in case of 'exigencies'," Pandhi said.
He added, "Taking passengers from one station to another is itself an exigency'. In the guise of an exigency clause, drivers are often asked to work for 15 hours or even more. There are no proper guidelines on how to relieve a running staff and who has the final authority to relieve them from work."
Pandhi also cited a circular of the Ahmedabad Railways Division dated May 2023 regarding the crew's excess working hours, which shows that 23 per cent crew worked beyond 12 hours.
"Night duties are not defined. Drivers cannot take a break to answer their natural calls as in many engines there are no washrooms," he alleged, demanding the board to also focus on these aspects.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
===================
The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
