Kerala CM Calls for Urgent Safety Overhaul After Fatal Railway Incidents

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a letter to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav, highlighted severe safety violations following a fatal incident on a Shoranur bridge. Four workers, employed for track cleaning, were killed by the Kerala Express. Vijayan demands immediate safety measures for contract staff.

In a strongly-worded letter to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has brought to light crucial safety oversights that have led to tragic fatalities near railway tracks in the state.

The Chief Minister expressed profound grief over a recent incident where four workers, including two women from Tamil Nadu, died while engaged in track cleaning duties near Shoranur Railway Station. They were struck by the Thiruvananthapuram-bound Kerala Express on November 2, 2024, inadvertently caught unaware by the speeding train.

Vijayan pointed out a distressing pattern, referencing a similar incident a few months prior involving a sanitation worker swept away while working near Thiruvananthapuram. The repeated violations underscore a grave lack of safety training for contract workers. Vijayan has urged immediate action to rectify these lapses and safeguard workers in vulnerable positions under railway contractors.

(With inputs from agencies.)