OPINION: Is it time for Prabhu to quit?

The locomotive driver, reportedly, pulled the emergency brake to avert the disaster but it was too late as the devil's bell was already rung!

New Delhi: After the fourteen coaches of the high-speed Kalinga-Utkal Express jumped the rails, with one of them crashing into a house adjacent to the track near Khatauli in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday evening, a question that is hammering everyone's mind is-It is time for Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu to leave office? The fatal accident reminded me of a famous saying,-"With great power comes great responsibility." And if you fail, repeatedly, you must quit atleast on moral grounds. The recent accident has killed at least 23 people and left scores injured. As per reports, the train ran on a track where maintenance work was going on. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri) The locomotive driver, reportedly, pulled the emergency brake to avert the disaster but it was too late as the devil's bell was already rung! The burning question is how can our system be so careless? Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu took charge as Minister of Railways on 9th November 2014. Let us count how many major (not counting the minor ones) accidents took place since he assumed office. (Image: AP) In 2014 1) 14 December 2014: The UP Howrah–New Delhi Poorva Express (12381) derailed 12 carriages at Liluah. There was no loss of life reported. In 2015 2) 13 February 2015: The Anekal derailment occurred when the Bangalore City–Ernakulam Intercity Express (12677) derailed nine coaches near Anekal in the Bangalore Urban district. the accident killed 12 and injured 100. 3) 1 March 2015: The Ernakulam–Hazrat Nizamuddin Mangala Lakshadweep Express (12617) jumped out of track near Pen station of Maharashtra. There were no injuries. 4) 20 March 2015: The Uttar Pradesh train accident occurred when the Dehradun–Varanasi Janta Express derailed in Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh, killing 58 and injuring 150. 5) 3 May 2015: The Mumbai Lokmanya Tilak–Ernakulam Junction Duronto Express (12223) goes off the track near Balli railway station in South Goa. However, there was no loss of life reported. 6) 25 May 2015: The Muri Express derailed in Uttar Pradesh, killing 5 and injuring more than 50. 7) 4 August 2015: The Harda twin train derailment occurred. The Kamayani Express and Janata Express derailed between Kurawan and Bhiringi stations in Madhya Pradesh, killing at least 31 people and injuring, reportedly, 100. 8) 12 September 2015: The Secunderabad Junction–Mumbai Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Duronto Express (12220) derailed 9 coaches at Martur station, around 20 km from Kalaburagi town, Karnataka, killing two and injuring seven. In 2016 9) 5 February 2016: The Island Express jumped the rails near Vellore; a few people were injured but no one died. 10) 6 May 2016: The Chennai Central–Thiruvananthapuram Central Superfast Express and a suburban train had a side collision near Pattabiram, injuring seven. 11) 20 November 2016: The Pukhrayan train derailment occurred when the Indore–Rajendra Nagar Express (19321) derailed 14 coaches at Pukhrayan (nearly 60 km from Kanpur) killing 150 and injuring 260. 12) 28 December 2016: The Ajmer-Sealdah Express derailed 15 coaches near Rura station while crossing a bridge, injuring 44. In 2017 13) 21 January 2017: The Kuneru train derailment occurred when the Jagdalpur–Bhubaneswar Hirakhand Express (18448) derailed near Kuneru, Vizianagaram. The mishap killed 41 and injured 68. 14) 7 March 2017: The Bhopal–Ujjain Passenger train (2017) bombing occurred when a bomb exploded on the Bhopal–Ujjain Passenger at Jabri railway station. It injured 10 passengers. This was the first strike in India by the so-called Islamic State. 15) 19 August 2017: The Haridwar Kalinga-Utkal Express (18478) derailed in Khatauli, Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. To say the least ...15 accidents. From no angel, this is a tiny figure. And as Minister of Railways, Suresh Prabhu is responsible, may be not directly, but indirectly. The country is dreaming to run bullet trains in near future but the ground reality is we are unable to run, safely, even the existing trains. What we need is a reality check and more serious approach towards our work and responsibilities. There is nothing more important than the life of humans. When people travel in the train they hope to reach their destinations safely and this is the duty of those sitting at responsible places to guarantee them the same. About the author: Author is an Associate Producer in ABP News Network Pvt Ltd and tweets at @AnuragSason Disclaimer: The views expressed by the author are personal and do not reflect the opinions, beliefs and views of ABP News Network Pvt Ltd.