Railway inspections necessary

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Wed, 04/25/2007 3:21 PM | Opinion

Observing the picture of the latest train accident, (The Jakarta Post, April 22), even a simple layman can see that the previous condition of the track was precarious and prone to what happened in the end.

Loose dirt, no reinforcement of the soil and the rails going downhill. That's it! The ditch at the side? ""Aaah, there is one meter of space to the rim. It's OK. It was not our stupidity and laziness that let this happen, it was 'the rain'! We only monitor the slide-prone area.""

I suggest that the supposedly existing rail track inspectors get down to their job and travel their route in person to check on conditions and repair weak spots like the one in the photo. It was very much slide prone too. This accident could have been prevented. The suffering of people, the spending of money for compensations and repairs. This money could have been used in the first place to maintain the track.

Maintenance is the key word in any business operation -- down to households. Repair a wobbly chair, so no one falls with it and breaks his/her bones. Repair is cheaper than mending broken bones in a hospital.

Far-fetched? Well, I call it ""thinking ahead"" for any given situation. If that shown track section had been taken care of with standard procedures, that accident would not have happened! The responsible inspector of that track section should go to prison for negligence and causing harm and injury.

The railway company (PTKA) takes money for its services. It has to use it to safeguard their customers, especially because it is a government institution that should serve the people.

If bureaucracy hampers the maintenance process, just shut down the endangered tracks! Never mind the inconvenience caused. The public outcry might force the bosses of PTKA to finally sit down and administer the rejuvenation and care of/for the whole enterprise.

It is business by any means and the money is there -- albeit in the bank and used for manipulations. This money has to be reinvested continuously for the maintenance of the public service PTKA stands for.

Mrs. SUHARTO
Tangerang, Banten

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