Railways accepts Khanna committee report

New Delhi, Dec 4 (ANI): The Railway Ministry on Friday said that it has accepted 239 recommendations out of 278 made by the Justice H R Khanna Committee.

In 1998, the Railway Ministry constituted Justice Khanna Committee to review the implementation of the recommendations of all previous accident inquiry committees, to examine the adequacy of existing organization and practices for safe running of trains and to suggest safety measures.

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Railways E Ahmed said: "The Committee in its report made 278 recommendations on various aspects of working of the Railways, out of which 239 were fully or partially accepted by the Ministry."

"Out of 239 accepted recommendations, 208 have already been implemented and the balance 31 recommendations are under various stages of implementation," he added.

He also informed the House that, 39 recommendations of the Committee related to retirement age, allowances, educational qualifications for recruitment, amendment to Trade Union Act, reduction of staff strength, stopping appointments on compassionate grounds to safety category posts, were not found feasible for acceptance.

In addition to measures taken to improve the efficiency of staff by way of emphasis to training including induction, promotional and in-service refresher courses, steps have been taken for adoption of suitable modern technologies for up-gradation and maintenance of track, rolling stock, signaling and interlocking systems, to further enhance the efficiency, Ahmed said. (ANI)