Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday disclosed to the Rajya Sabha that 1,761 locomotive pilots failed breathalyzer tests over the past five years. Following the failure, they were subjected to disciplinary action in accordance with established policies, he added.
In the Upper House, BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi and CPI’s Binoy Viswam brought up concerns regarding the Breathalyser (BA) test.
In his written reply Vaishnaw said that Loco Pilots are required to undergo the BA test in their respective lobbies. This is done to ensure safe train operations. He added that out of a total number of 8,28,03,387 BA tests carried out in the last five years, 1,761 Loco Pilots failed the test.
