Railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav is expected to announce steps to hone up Indian Railways? disaster management capabilities when he unveils the Budget for the next fiscal.
In the railway Budget for 2007-08, Lalu had made a provision under the depreciation reserve fund for renewal of assets. ?Disaster management might have a special mention in next year?s Budget speech,? said an official.
The Budget will make special provision for upgrading equipment to improve the railway?s rescue and relief operations. ?We lack in rescue and relief operation when human beings are involved,? said the official.
On the equipment side, the railways could get specialised railway vehicles with the latest in metal cutting technology as well as medical trains specialised in handling burns or specific injuries.
The need to upgrade rescue and relief operation skills came into focus after the zonal railways submitted their feedback to the safety advisor of the railway board on a disaster management handbook that had been drawn up and circulated by the board.
The ministry has decided to incorporate the suggestions as early as possible.
The zonal railways called for more special rescue vehicles, which some of them have purchased. The ministry will have to make an allocation for these vehicles.
The relief trains will have more cold gas cutters and better equipment for lighting up rescue areas.
?We are developing a special disaster management module to be taught at the Zonal Railway Training Institute,? said the IR official.