Conspiracy to cause rail accidents won't last long, govt will probe root cause of mishaps: Amit Shah

New Delhi: Amid several incidents where authorities suspect attempts were made to derail trains, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said that any conspiracy to cause railway accidents will not last long as the government is probing to find out the root cause of mishaps.

Addressing a press conference to mark 100 days of the third tenure of the BJP-led NDA government, Shah said he had discussed the issue of railway safety with Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw over the last two days.

"As far as accidents are concerned, we will investigate the root cause of this. Whatever the reason, the government is committed to addressing the issue. If this is a conspiracy, it will not last long. If there are gaps, they will be plugged," Shah said with Vaishnaw by his side.

Insisting that the government has taken a strong view of the recent incidents, he said the government will soon unveil an initiative for the protection of the 1.10 lakh km railway network across the country.

Shah said that the CBI, NIA, Railway Police and the Home Ministry were preparing a scheme for the protection of the railway network to ensure there is no sabotage.

He added that the railway network has been expanding during the tenure of the Modi government and that the people were witness to it.

The Home Minister said, in the first 100 days since assuming office for the third consecutive term, the government has approved eight new railway line projects for faster and convenient travel by train.

Since June last year, there have been more than 18 incidents when either locomotive pilots or railway staff have detected pieces of wood or stones on railway tracks, signal tampering and gas cylinders placed on tracks to derail the trains. The railways have registered cases and arrested a few miscreants in a few cases.

Congress had claimed that there were 38 railway accidents in the first 100 days of the third tenure of the Modi government.