Govt sources dismiss Congress' claim of misuse of railway safety measures fund
New Delhi, Jun 10: Dismissing the Congress' allegation of misuse of funds meant for railway safety on crockery, furniture and foot massagers, government sources on Saturday said these were used in rooms of train drivers who spend long hours on duty.
According to an official document, the national transporter has spent more than Rs 1 lakh crore on safety measures between 2017-2018 and 2021-22 with a steady growth in expenditure on track renewal.
Citing a 2021 report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), the Congress on Friday claimed the central government "misused" funds meant for railway safety on crockery, car rentals, furniture, laptops and foot massagers.
"This is how funds specifically meant for railway safety were used. This is the CAG's finding," Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Twitter, days after a triple train accident in Odisha's Balasore claimed 278 lives and injured nearly 1,000 people.
The government sources said the items mentioned by the Congress were being used in rooms of loco-pilots who run trains.
"They are the most essential and key elements of safety in railways. There are some who spend long hours in trains, sometimes even standing...all day. The foot massagers are for them. These are not a luxury item for them but a necessity which keeps them in good health," one of the sources said.
According to the CAG report, referred to by the Congress, the railways has spent Rs 1.48 crore for the purchase of furniture, utensils, crockery, kitchen/electrical appliances, Rs 0.085 crore on hiring of vehicles, and Rs 4.54 crore on street light, fee to pollution control board, foot massager, winter jackets among other things.
The sources said these were expenditures critical to the well-being of the running staff.
All India Railwaymen's Federation secretary Shiv Gopal Mishra said, "Our station managers and running staff work day and night and it's not fair to politicise things bought for their use like crockery and foot massager. Politics over these things only ruin the image of the railways."
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Woman, 2 sons found dead in Delhi home; suicide suspected
New Delhi (PTI): Three members of a family were found dead inside their home in southeast Delhi's Kalkaji on Friday, with police suspecting it to be a case of suicide, officials said.
Police said the incident came to light around 2.47 pm when a police team reached the premises to execute a court order related to possession of the property. When repeated knocks went unanswered, the staff used a duplicate key to open the door.
Inside, officers found Anuradha Kapoor (52) and her sons, Ashish Kapoor (32) and Chaitanya Kapoor (27), hanging from the ceiling, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari said in a statement. All three were declared dead.
A handwritten note was recovered from the room, suggesting the family had been struggling with depression.
"The handwritten note indicates emotional distress faced by the family due to which the family may have taken the extreme step," the officer said.
The bodies have been shifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) mortuary for post-mortem and other legal formalities under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), police said.
Residents of the neighbourhood said they were shocked to learn about the deaths, adding that the family kept largely to themselves.
Pankaj Kashyap, a resident of Girinagar, said he learnt about the deaths while leaving for work. "I live and work here and was leaving for work when I saw many people standing outside and talking. That is how I got to know that three people had committed suicide. I also saw several police vehicles outside, but I do not know much beyond that," he said.
Baldev, another neighbour, said the family had been living in the newly constructed house for around two years. "We only knew that a mother and her two children lived there. They had moved into the newly built house around two years ago. We did not interact much with them. Today we heard that all three have committed suicide, and whatever we know is based on what people here are saying," he said.
Another neighbour, Ramesh Kumar, claimed the family had earlier attempted suicide.
"About fifteen to twenty days ago, the two sons in the family had attempted suicide and police and ambulances had come. That was when I first got to know who they were. I do not recognise them by face, but we saw the ambulances and police take the two sons that day. Today again we saw ambulances and police arriving, so everyone came out to see what had happened. I do not know how long they had been living here, but this is all we know," he said.
Police said they are examining the family's financial condition, social circumstances, and other factors that may have contributed to the incident. Further investigation is underway.
