MINISTER OF STATE OF THE MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION ( SHRI PRAFUL PATEL )
(a) The number of Railway accident inquiries made and the reports prepared by the Commission of Railway Safety during the last three years are as follows:-
S.No Year No of Inquiry reports
(1) 2001-02 - 28 (2) 2002-03 - 35 (3) 2003-04 - 33 (4) 2004-05 (upto 31.7.04) 01
Total - 97
(b) As per rule 4 of the Statutory Investigation into Railway Accidents Rules 1998, the Railway Inquiry Reports are confidential. However, the reports could be made public when Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety and Railway Board agree upon the publication. However, the Reports is made public only when there is no pending prosecution or there is no likely prosecution and if there is a prosecution, only after the termination of all the court proceedings.
(c) Government has decided to publish inquiry reports in abstract form for those accidents which has occurred in the year 1999-2000 onwards and in which Railway Board`s comments on recommendations have been received. These are being published in the form of a six monthly peridical which is sent out to Parliament library, the Chief Secretaries of the State Governments, information centers, Chambers of Commerce, Selected libraries and other organizations as per mailing list.
(d) The Commission has been placed under the administrative control of Civil Aviation Ministry to ensure independence of its functioning and also to avoid direct subordination of the Commission under the Railway Board.
