Balasore: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday announced Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia to the families of passengers from West Bengal killed in Odisha train accident.
She announced the compensation soon after taking stock of the situation at the accident site in presence of Railway Minister Aswini Vaishnaw and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and some other leaders.
“I am standing here with the Railway Minister and BJP MPs. The Bengal government will provide Rs 5 lakh each to the people of our state and cooperate and work with the Railways and Odisha Government until the work is complete. We have also sent 40 doctors and two buses from Bengal to Odisha for further medical assistance,” she said.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo dubbed the mishap as ‘biggest of the century’ and demanded proper investigation to get to the truth of the incident. She also met Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw at the spot and questioned why the trains were not equipped with the anti-collusion system, which would have averted the tragedy.
“This is the biggest train accident of this century and a proper investigation must be conducted…Something must be behind this. The truth must come out. Why didn’t the anti-collision system work?” Banerjee questioned while briefing the media with Vaishnaw standing beside her.
The official death toll in the triple train crash involving the Coromandel Express mounted to 261, South Central Railway (SCR) said. The other trains involved in the mishap include the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and a goods train. The railways ministry 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.
