Ashwini Vaishnaw said he wants the restoration work to be completed at the earliest.
New Delhi/Balasore:
Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw last evening reviewed the restoration work at the train accident site in Odisha’s Balasore.
At least 288 people have been killed and around 803 were injured in a horrific three-train collision. The crash involved the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, and a goods train.
Mr Vaishnaw said he wants the restoration work to be completed at the earliest.
Reacting to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s remark on the official death count in the tragedy, the Railways Minister said, “We want full transparency, this is not the time to do politics, this is time to focus on making sure that restoration happens at the earliest.”
Earlier on Saturday, Ms Banerjee and Mr Vaishnaw – while talking to media – had disagreed over the death count in the horrific accident.
Mr Vaishnaw, who was standing with Mamata Banerjee, sought to correct her when she suggested that the death count could be as high as 500.
I have heard it could be 500,” she said, adding that rescue work had not been completed in three bogies, while Mr Vaishnaw maintained the death count (at that time) was 238.
The crash saw one train ram so hard into the other that carriages were lifted high into the air, twisting and then smashing off the tracks. Another carriage had been tossed entirely onto its roof, crushing the passenger section. Over 3,400 passengers were travelling in two trains, according to railway officials.
The Railways Ministry has ordered a high-level probe into how the accident happened. The ministry has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the families of those who have died, and Rs 2 lakh for those seriously injured. PM Modi has also announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the family of the dead and Rs 50,000 for the injured from the PM’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF).
