New Delhi, May 29 — Rattled by a series of Maoist attacks on passenger trains, the railways have tossed up a proposal for setting up a unified force to deal with railway crimes, with a clearly defined control and command structure. A draft favouring a unified railway force is under consideration and likely to be moved to the Union cabinet for approval, ministry sources said.
“Railway crimes are nobody’s baby as the RPF has all the responsibility and no powers, while the GRP has all powers and no responsibility,” said A.K. Suri, former RPF director-general. Railway crimes are jointly dealt with by the 69,000 strong Railway Protection Force (RPF) and 36,000 personnel comprising the Government Railway Police (GRP).
The railways pays compensation to passengers, but the RPF deals only with minor crimes. Fifty per cent of the salaries of GRP personnel are borne by the railways and the unit handles major crimes, but has little accountability.
As at Jhargram, the two organisations have continuously displayed a tendency to play the blame game after accidents. “All that the railways needs to do is to invoke the 7th schedule of the constitution for putting in place a unified railways force.
But the political will has been lacking,” said Uma Shankar Jha, general secretary of the RPF Association. The railways do not have a unified all-India cadre, with personnel of nine different cadres working in the ministry.
Pak won’t allow US to cross ‘red line’ under any circumstances: FO
Islamabad, Sep.18 (ANI): Amid reports of a massive expansion of the US’ Islamabad embassy, Pakistan has said that it would never allow the American troops to carry out military operations from its soil.
Addressing a weekly briefing Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said Islamabad would not allow the US to cross the ‘red line’ under any circumstance.
“We would not allow, under any circumstances, operations by US forces inside Pakistan. We have conveyed this several times to our US interlocutors and this is one of our red lines,” Basit said.
Referring to US Chief of Army Staff Admiral Mike Mullen’s statement that Pakistan is facing a threat both from the east and the west, Basit said Mullen’s comments were true in the sense that Pakistan ‘has issues with India and is simultaneously battling terrorism on the western border.’
Commenting on the Obama Administration’s decision to maintain the long standing accountability measures over the aid being provided to Pakistan, he said Islamabad also supports ‘transparency and accountability at every stage’, but asked the US to reduce the administrative cost of the proposed assistance.
“What we have been saying is that we would like to reduce the administrative cost … so that it is cost-effective and maximum benefits reach the people of Pakistan,” The Daily Times quoted Basit, as saying.
When asked about the US Ambassador Anne Patterson’s claims that America has so far provided three billion dollars as aid to Pakistan, he said: “I would refer you to the Finance Ministry, since it is better placed to answer this question.”
He also refused comment on a report that claimed the Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US, Hussain Haqqani had leaked classified information to an Indian media house.
“As you used the word ‘reportedly’, it will not be appropriate for me to comment in public on such official matters,” Basit said. (ANI)