419 compensation claims pending with railways

Over 400 compensation claim cases related to train accidents are pending till December 15, 2017, the government informed Parliament today.
In a written reply in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain said that as of December 15, 2017, there were 419 cases related to compensation claims that were pending with the railways.
"Compensation is paid by railways on the basis of decree awarded by Railways Claims Tribunal (RCT) after adjudication of the claim application filed before them", Gohain said.
The minister said that cases related to 214 deaths, 205 injured and two missing passengers was pending in different zonal railways as of December 15, 2017.

Gohain also clarified that the compensation paid in a year need not necessarily relate to the accidents or casualties in that year alone.
"This amount depends upon the number of cases finalised in a particular year irrespective of the years in which the accident they pertain to, have occurred," he said.
In the past three years, railways has paid Rs 1.27 crore as compensation in 2014-2015, Rs 2.62 crore in 2015-2016 and Rs 3.03 crore in 2016-2017.
In 2014-15, 292 people were killed in rail accidents, in 2015-16, 122 people died, while the next year, 238 people died.