FOB Information Board to monitor transparency and accountability
After the unfortunate collapse of the Himalaya Bridge at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) on March 14 that killed seven people and injured 27, an ugly blame game erupted between BMC and the Railways due to lack of transparency on the accountability factor. Hence, to put the brake on such stupid conflicts, the Central Railway (CR) has started a new trend of putting up boards declaring details of the FOBs. These information boards provide relevant contact numbers of the ownership and maintenance department that are accountable for the bridge.
A similar FOB Information Board has been put up at Mulund Railway station, where a new FOB was recently inaugurated. The information that the FOB Informative Board contains is 1) Name of the station 2) Name of Ownership Authority i.e. If it is owned by Railway or BMC 3) Name of the Maintenance Authority 4) Inspection dates stating the last inspection date and the due date of inspection 5) Status i.e. mentioning safety of the bridge.
What is most laudable about the FOB Information Board is that the board also provides a phone number of the concerned authorities to be contacted in an emergency or an accident. A railway official said, “The prime reason behind putting the board is to have transparency in our work. We wish to win back the confidence of the public and assure them that the Railways is serious about their lives and now people can hold the concerned officials accountable for accidents.”
Applauding the CR for it transparency, a Mulundkar said, “The FOB Information Board is a brilliant idea. Since it provides the last inspection date and the due date of inspection and also alerts about the safety of the bridge, hence it would ensure fewer accidents.”
