GS4 · UPSC Mains

In the early hours of the morning on 25th August, 2023, a passenger train derailed near a small town in Odisha, approximately 80 kilometres from Bhubaneswar. The accident was caused by a broken railway track, which had been weakened by continuous heavy rains over the past week. The derailment led to significant loss of life and injury to many passengers, along with extensive damage to the train and surrounding infrastructure. You are a commandant officer, NDRF and were immediately informed of the incident. You rush to the site for immediate support and inform others to reach the site as soon as possible. Upon reaching the accident site, you are faced with a chaotic and distressing scene. Several train coaches are overturned, and many passengers are trapped inside. The rescue operations are underway, but the heavy rains and muddy terrain are making the process difficult. The rains and lightning have also disturbed communication lines making it difficult to mobilise help immediately. Moreover, due to excessive rain and difficult terrain it was getting difficult to mobilise enough support staff to the site. This was further aggravated by limited resources available for rescue operations. Equipment such as metal cutters, canine squads and other heavy-lift equipment were difficult to reach to the site. As a result rescue workers were unable to rescue people properly, creating more chaos and panic, leading to protest by passengers and victims. Medical teams and first aid kits were still on the way, adding more to the crisis. a) As a commandant officer, NDRF, how would you handle the crisis? b) Mention various steps that can be taken to avoid rail accidents, post this incident? (20 marks, 250 words)

20 marks · 250 words · 6 toppers answered this

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