Off the rails

Govt can't give railway safety a short shrift

Another 39 people have lost their lives after the Hirakhand Express derailed in Vizianagaram on Saturday evening. This is the third such horrific incident in the past three months. In November, 146 people died when 14 coaches of the Indore-Patna Express derailed and in December, 15 coaches of the Sealdah-Ajmer Express went off the rails. Every incident has led to loud cries from experts and the public, asking the government to address safety concerns. But on every occasion the government has chosen to believe that the incident is likely to have been the result of sabotage. That was the view