New Delhi: All train passengers in the country will come under insurance cover while travelling.
The Supreme Court has directed Indian Railways to extend insurance coverage to all train tickets purchased at railway station counters from October 27, bringing them on a par with online bookings.
The direction must be implemented mandatorily, the Court said, adding that the Railway Board will be directly responsible for any failure to comply.
The bench of Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Justice R Mahadevan noted that insurance was currently available to passengers booking tickets online on payment of a nominal additional amount, while those buying tickets at reservation counters did not receive the same benefit.
“Coming to the issue of insurance coverage, at present, only persons purchasing tickets online are provided the benefit of insurance coverage upon payment of a nominal additional amount. The Court has granted sufficient time to the authorities to devise a mechanism for extending such coverage to persons belonging to the lowest strata of society, who, in most cases, purchase their tickets at the railway reservation counters while undertaking journeys by train,” the bench said, as reported by The Times of India.
Within two weeks, all tickets sold over the counter at all railway stations be covered by insurance in the same manner as tickets bought online, the Court directed while observing that there had been no progress despite the time given.
The Court also expressed displeasure over the Railways’ handling of safety measures. Even the budget set aside for targeted safety areas had not been fully utilised, it noted.
“The Railways have been representing before this Court that all necessary steps are being taken in this regard. However, it appears that such assurances have remained largely on paper and that no substantial change has taken place on the ground,” the apex court said.
The Court also flagged shortfalls in fencing railway tracks, noting that the railways had missed its targets by almost one-third every year.
The bench directed the chairman and members of the Railway Board to appear in person on the next date of hearing. In the order, it said they “shall remain present and be prepared to explain how, in their planning and implementation, there has been a shortfall of almost one-third every year in achieving the targets relating to the basic safety measure of fencing the railway tracks.”
If it finds no substantial progress on the ground by the next hearing, it may have to consider whether the Railway Board, as presently constituted, is fit to continue in office, the Court warned.
After the order was dictated, additional solicitor general Vikramjit Banerjee, appearing for the Centre, sought “one last indulgence” to file an affidavit setting out the work actually done on the ground over the past year, the reasons for not meeting the targets (at least for fencing) and how the Board proposes to ensure they are met. The court then kept the direction for the Board’s personal appearance in abeyance for the present.
The matter will next be heard on November 16.