Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi on Tuesday said he was planning to set up an independent safety and security board to strengthen passenger and freight security.
"I am planning to have a safety and security board in line with similar arrangements in the United States. This board will run independently and solely look after the safety and security aspects of the Indian Railways," Trivedi told reporters.
The modalities of the new board, however, is yet to be worked out, he said.
Trivedi's announcement comes close on the heels of the Kalka Mail accident in Uttar Pradesh that killed 70 people and injured 250 others. In reply to a question, Trivedi said he was expecting the inquiry report of the July 10 mishap "any time".
Trivedi, who became Railway Minister last week, said his road map of work would be the "Vision 20:20" introduced by Mamata Banerjee, when she was the Railway Minister.
"Mamata Banerjee works for 24 hours. We will follow this. The projects announced by her will be implemented," he said.
Pointing out to the rise in the number of unmanned level crossings in the country, mostly in rural areas, Trivedi said unauthorised crossings were not visible in the railway maps.
"We are asking the state governments to look into the problem. The panchayats and the municipalities should take steps to ensure that people do not cross the tracks at unauthorised places," he said.
