India: 39 Killed In Train Accident, Delhi Archbishop Demands Action
By UCA News
A train accident killed 39 people in a southern Indian state on Jan. 22 and Archbishop Anil Couto of Delhi has demanded that both the Indian federal and state governments focus on the safety of travelers.
“It is high time that the governments put the safety and security of its citizens above short-term political and other gains,” the archbishop said in a statement following a train derailment in Vizianagram district of Andhra Pradesh state that killed 39 people on Jan. 22.
Expressing anguish at the frequent rail accidents, Archbishop Couto, based in the national capital, said that the government and railway officials seem to ignore and brush aside safety recommendations for train passengers.
The Indian government is pushing hard to introduce high-speed bullet trains spending millions of rupees but “is reluctant to strengthen the existing railway tracks and failing to implement the recommendations on safety and security of passengers.”
This is not the first such incident. Since last year, the country has witnessed several big and small train accidents.
In November, in northern Uttar Pradesh state, 147 people died when an express train derailed. In December in the same state, another 63 people died when 14 coaches of another express train derailed.
