Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said the triple train accident in Odisha’s Balasore district was the “biggest of the century” and a proper investigation was needed to unravel the truth.
Banerjee, who has been the Railway minister twice, said the crash could have been averted had the anti-collision system was operational on this route.
She claimed that the safety and security of passengers were being neglected by the Railways.
“There must be something behind this and a proper investigation is needed. The truth must come out. Had there been an anti-collision system, the accident would not have happened. No one cares about the safety and security of passengers,” Banerjee said.
“I had introduced the anti-collision system when I was the Railways minister and it had brought down the number of accidents,” she said.
On Saturday afternoon, the West Bengal chief minister flew to the accident site and spoke to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and other senior officials who were already present there.
She claimed most of the passengers “were from Bengal barring a few from Kerala, Bengaluru and Odisha”.
“Coromandel Express is one of the best trains in the country. This is the biggest railway accident of the century. In 1985, there was a massive train accident in Bihar. When I was the Railways minister, the Maoists had ‘organised’ an accident, the probe of which was given to the CID. Unfortunately, there is no outcome even today,” she said.
Banerjee announced Rs 5 lakh compensation to families of West Bengal passengers killed in the accident, Rs 1 lakh to critically injured and Rs 50,000 to those with minor injuries.
She also offered her government’s full assistance to the Railways and the Odisha government. “We have already sent 70 ambulances, 40 doctors and nurses to help the injured,” she said.
The railways announced an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased, Rs 2 lakh for those grievously injured and Rs 50,000 for those who got minor injuries.
She said buses have been arranged to transport people with minor injuries to Bengal.
“Some buses have already brought people with minor injuries back to Bengal. I will request the Railways to send the seriously injured back to Bengal for better treatment,” she said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also announced an additional ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured from the PM’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF).
The train crash, the fourth deadliest in India according to available records, happened near Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore district, about 250 km south of Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubaneswar, around 7 pm on Friday, prompting the Railway Ministry to order a probe. PTI SCH MNB MNB
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