Prime Today News Desk: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has reported that 20,304 railway safety-related works remained unfinished during the 2024-25 financial year. The finding appears in an audit review of Indian Railways’ finances and accounts for the year ended March 2025.
The national auditor said the backlog indicated delays in achieving intended safety outcomes. The number covers safety-related projects rather than a count of accidents or unsafe trains, but it raises questions about planning, funding and execution across the network.
Safety fund contributions fell below the plan
The report also examined the Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh, a dedicated fund established to finance important safety works. According to the audit, Indian Railways was expected to contribute a significant amount from its own resources but provided only a small fraction of the planned contribution.
A funding gap can delay track renewal, bridge work, signalling improvements and other projects, although the exact composition of the 20,304 unfinished works must be assessed in the full report. Projects can also remain incomplete because of land, procurement, contractor or operational constraints.
Completion quality matters as much as expenditure
Safety spending should be evaluated by whether priority works are completed on time and deliver the intended reduction in risk. Merely allocating money is not enough if projects remain stuck or if lower-priority work displaces urgent maintenance.
The audit gives Parliament and the public a basis to ask for project-wise timelines, reasons for delay and corrective action. Indian Railways’ response and subsequent compliance reporting will be important to determine how quickly the backlog is reduced. The figures should be read in the context of the CAG’s audited period, not assumed to represent the current status of every project.
What accountability should look like
The Railways can respond with a public, prioritised list separating critical works from routine projects and showing revised completion dates. High-risk locations should receive resources first, with reasons recorded when deadlines are extended.
Future audits should track not only money released but physical completion and safety performance. That would allow Parliament to see whether the backlog is genuinely shrinking rather than being carried into a new financial year.
Source: Business Standard. This is an independently written report based on the cited reporting.
