Tue Jan 28 01:58:15 UTC 2025: ## Parliamentary Committee Slams Slow Rollout of Indian Railways’ Safety System ‘Kavach’

**Hyderabad, January 28, 2025** – A Parliamentary Standing Committee has sharply criticized the slow deployment of the indigenous Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system, ‘Kavach,’ and the insufficient investment in railway research and development (R&D). The report, submitted last month, reveals that the budget allocated for railway R&D in 2024-25 is a mere ₹72.01 crore, while allocated funds for the previous two years remained largely unutilized.

The committee, chaired by BJP MP C.M. Ramesh, expressed concern that only 1,465 route km on the South Central Railway and 80 route km on the North Central Railway have been equipped with Kavach. While tenders have been floated for key corridors like Delhi-Chennai and Mumbai-Chennai, the committee urged for expedited implementation to ensure faster nationwide coverage.

The report highlights a significant under-expenditure on R&D, with ₹39.12 crore spent out of ₹107 crore allocated in 2022-23, and ₹28.34 crore spent out of ₹66.52 crore allocated in 2023-24. The committee stressed that R&D is crucial for modernizing the railways and called for increased investment and expanded research activities.

Beyond Kavach, the committee also addressed other safety concerns. While praising the near-complete installation of advanced signalling systems at 99.4% of broad-gauge stations, it urged the installation of the latest technology at remaining stations. The committee also highlighted the slow replacement of ICF coaches with safer LHB coaches, despite a budget allocation of ₹54,113.78 crore for rolling stock in 2024-25. Production targets for LHB coaches in 2023-24 were not met, with 35,700 LHB coaches produced compared to 31,670 ICF coaches still in use.

Finally, the report noted the significant net social service obligation of ₹40,190 crore for 2022-23 due to below-cost fares and losses in various services. The committee recommended prioritizing the elimination of losses in areas such as catering services and providing quality food at competitive prices.

Read More