The tragic train accident involving Kanchanjunga Express in West Bengal, resulting in 10 fatalities and numerous injuries, has sparked a political controversy. Several opposition leaders are calling for Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s resignation.
The recent incident has revived discussions on whether the NDA government, in power since 2014, has overseen better railway management compared to the UPA government from 2004 to 2014.
According to data obtained by India Today TV from government sources, there has been a notable decrease in the number of train accidents under the NDA government in contrast to the UPA government.
Between 2004 and 2014, there were a total of 1,711 railway accidents. In contrast, from 2014 to March 2023 under the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), there were 638 accidents recorded.
During the UPA era, these accidents resulted in 2,453 fatalities and 4,486 injuries, while under the NDA government, there were 781 deaths and 1,543 injuries.
The UPA period saw 867 derailments between 2002 and 2014, whereas the NDA recorded 426 derailments from 2014 to 2023.
Under the UPA, there was an average of 86.7 derailments per year, which decreased to 47.3 per year under the NDA. The average annual number of consequential train accidents also dropped from 171 under the UPA to 71 under the NDA.
The NDA’s track renewal budget saw an annual expenditure of Rs 10,201 crore from FY15 to FY23, compared to Rs 4,702 crore spent annually from FY05 to FY14 under the UPA.
Over the past nine years, Indian Railways has allocated Rs 1,78,012 crore towards rail safety, including the budget estimate for FY24, marking a substantial increase compared to safety expenditures before 2014.
