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The Ministry of Railways is scrutinizing the report of Justice G.C. Garg Commission on Khanna Rail accident, which took place on November 26, 1998. The accident was caused by collision of Sealdah bound 3152 DN Sealdah Express with Amritsar bound 2903 UP Golden Temple Mail after its derailment.
Such reports of the Commission require detailed scrutiny by various Directorates of the Ministry of Railways. Action Taken Report (ATR) on the Garg Commission is required to be submitted to the Parliament within six months of the receipt of the Report, which is due by January 15, 2005 and the same is being ensured by the Railway Ministry.
When the Khanna Accident took place, the present Chairman, Railway Board, Shri R.K. Singh was not in the Track Directorate of Railway Board, but Chief Engineer, North Eastern Railway, Gorakhpur. The culprit rail which fractured due to some defect in it and led to that rail accident, was procured in April, 1990. At that time also, the present Chairman, Railway Board was not in the Track Directorate of Railway Board but was Additional Divisional Railway Manager (ADRM), North Eastern Railway, Lucknow.
Shri R.K. Singh was Executive Director in the Track Directorate from April 1996 to November, 1997 only. He has had, thus, no relationship with the cause of the Khanna Rail accident.
Further to mention that the main role of Track Directorate of Railway Board is to lay down the specifications for the rails from time to time, whenever relaxation in the Hydrogen content of liquid steel has been granted to Bhillai Steel Plant for supply of rails, it has been done with the clear provision that slow cooling of bloom and slow cooling of rails should strictly be ensured to finally contain Hydrogen content within the limits in the solid rail. All this has been done fully in keeping with the extant world practices and was fully in order. At no point of time the rail safety was compromised.
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