Train services resume at Amritsar mishap site

Train services at Joda Phatak area of Amritsar have resumed, nearly 40 hours after they were suspended when Dussehra revellers were crushed to death by a speeding train near Amritsar.

Speaking to ANI, Amritsar's Senior divisional security commissioner said, "This was the first train movement after the incident. There were issues of law and order, it is now clear. Now we will be running a few more trains. Normalcy will return soon."

Earlier on Friday, due to the mishap, railways had cancelled as many as 13 trains along the route.

Union Minister of State (MoS) for Railways Manoj Sinha, on Saturday, asserted that the train accident was completely avoidable and the Railways was not at fault.

While stressing that organisers should have realised the danger of holding such events so close to a railway track, Sinha said, "It is not a fault of Railways because the department was not informed of any such event going on at the place. Generally when such events are organised the local administration grants permission but the officials denied giving any such permission for this particular event."

Sinha explained that "the level-crossing is about 300 meters away from the place of incident. The railway track is at some height and when the Ravana effigy was burnt, people couldn't hear the horn of the train due to crackers being burnt at the time.