The rail coach booked by a private party that went up in flames, leaving nine passengers dead and a few others injured in Madurai on Saturday, was inspected twice for safety aspects and cleared for operation in the last 10 days.
According to sources in the Southern Railway, the Sleeper Class coach booked online through IRCTC by the travel agency which organised the tour was subjected to inspection to ascertain safety parameters and proper functioning of amenities at Izzatnagar (North Eastern Railway) on August 16, 2023 and Mysore (South Western Railway) on August 21, 2023.
After the inspection, officials of the Mechanical department issued Brake Power Certificate each valid for five days. “The coach was due for renewal of BPC at Madurai on Sunday. In the earlier two inspections, had the coach maintenance staff noticed LPG cylinders, they would have removed them. It is possible that the agent removed the cylinders from the coach before sending them to the pit line for inspection and certification,” a senior railway official said.
