The Indian Railways has spent Rs 352 crore on the implementation of the indigenously developed anti-collision system ‘Kavach’ in 2023-24. According to the official statement, the budgetary allocation for Kavach during the year 2023-24 is Rs 710.12 Crores.
The Indian Railways has awarded tenders for the installation of the Kavach system on the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah corridors. The statement was made by Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday (August 3, 2023) in a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha.
Kavach train collision prevention system on only 1,465 route km
The statement also stated that the Kavach has so far been deployed on 1,465 Route km (Rkm) and 121 locomotives, including Electric Multiple Unit rakes on South Central Railway in Telangana (684 Rkm), Andhra Pradesh (66 Rkm), Karnataka (117 Rkm) & Maharashtra (598 Rkm) States.
It added that the Indian Railways had only deployed Kavach on 20 route km (RKM) in 2022-23, following deployments of 859 km during 2021-22, and 321 RKM in 2020-21.
Kavach Protection System tender to be awarded in various states
The Railways minister also informed that tenders will soon be awarded to install the Kavach system across various regions, including 193 km in Jharkhand, 229 km in West Bengal, 943 km in Uttar Pradesh, 30 km in Delhi, 227 km in Bihar, 81 km in Haryana, 425 km in Rajasthan, 216 km in Madhya Pradesh, 526 km in Gujarat, and 848 km in Maharashtra.
Vaishnaw also clarified that Indian Railways is currently preparing a Detailed Project Report (DPR) and detailed estimates for the aforementioned installations, and tenders will be awarded once these DPRs are finalized.
“The Cost for provision of Track side including Station equipment of Kavach is approximately Rs 50 Lakhs/Km and cost for provision of Kavach equipment on loco is approximately Rs 70 lakh/ loco. The amount spent so far on Kavach implementation is Rs 351.91 Crores. The budgetary allocation for Kavach during the year 2023-24 in Rs 710.12 Crores. The projects are sanctioned zone-wise and not State wise as Indian Railway’s projects may span across State boundaries. Therefore, State wise expenditure is not maintained,” the statement highlighted.