The Standing Committee on Railways, headed by Trinamool Congress MP Dinesh Trivedi, in its latest report, expressed “serious concern” over the proposed amendments and said detailed discussions with stakeholders should be held before making any major changes in the Act.
Though the proposed amendments involve public interest, these have been proposed without any kind of consultation process with the most crucial stakeholders such as Railways Accident Victims Associations, Railways Claims Tribunal Bar Associations and passenger associations, the panel said.
The Railway Ministry, through the Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2014, has sought to amend Sections 109 and 123 and to insert Section 124B in the Railways Act, to redefine ‘accidental falling’ in railway accidents and make changes to the eligibility criteria for passengers and their dependents to claim compensation in the aftermath of an accident.
As per the proposed amendments, railways is liable to pay compensation for injuries or death caused by train accidents.
However, no compensation is payable in case of death or injury due to suicide or attempted suicide, self-inflicted injuries, criminal acts of passengers, acts committed by the passenger in a state of intoxication or insanity.
The parliamentary committee has stated that indisputably it is the railway users alone – the ordinary citizens of the country for whom the railways is the most affordable mode of transport that provides the maximum connectivity – who will be the most affected at the ground level if this bill is passed.
“It needs reiteration that ours is a welfare state and the entire government machinery and their actions are accountable to the public at large,” the report said.
The 31-member committee is, therefore, of the firm view that an organisation of the stature and standing of Indian Railways will not be able to formulate and implement a passenger-friendly policy without the active participation of various stakeholders concerned.
From the feedback made available to the committee, it is quite evident that very pertinent and genuine apprehensions of the stakeholders have remained unaddressed by the Ministry.
“The rightful course would have been for the Ministry to have discussed issues covered under the proposed amendment bill with them at the zonal railways levels,” it said.
However, to the “utter disappointment” of the committee, railways has regrettably failed to take the right initiative in this direction, the committee said