Page 42 - Odisha

Balasore train accident: Rescuer suffered hallucinations, says NDRF DG

Traumatised by what they saw when they reached the three train crash site in Odisha's Balasore district, one NDRF rescuer hallucinated that he was seeing blood and another lost his appetite, the director general of the force said on Tuesday. Nine National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams were deployed for rescue operations following one of the worst railway disasters in India that killed at least 278 people and injured more than 900. According to official data, the force rescued 44 victims and retrieved 121 bodies from the spot. "I recently met the personnel who were involved in the rescue operation following the Balasore train accident... Someone told me he hallucinated that he was seeing blood every time he saw water. Another said he lost the urge to eat after this rescue operation," NDRF DG Atul Karwal said. In his inaugural address at the one-day 'Annual Conference on Capacity Building for Disaster Response-2023' being organised by the NDRF at the Vigyan Bhawan here, he said

Ashwini Vaishnaw holds meetings with officials, after returning from Odisha

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who returned to Delhi from Balasore in Odisha after reviewing the rescue and restoration work following the triple train accident, is holding a series of high-level meetings with officials here. He is scheduled to speak to general managers of all zonal railways later in the evening through video conferencing, sources said. Sources said that the meeting focused on safety drills in zones with a special focus on signalling and telecom across the railway network. The train accident in Balasore involving Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, which were carrying over 2,500 passengers, and goods train laden with iron ore occurred around 7 pm on Friday near the Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore, about 250 km south of Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubaneswar. At least 278 people were killed and more than 900 were injured in the accident.

Odisha tragedy: CBI begins probe, railways suspects 'physical tampering'

"There was a green signal on the main line. The signal is usually green when all the pre-conditions required for the signal to go green are perfect," DRM said

Headlines management: Cong slams govt for seeking CBI probe into rail crash

The Congress on Tuesday slammed the government over the Railways seeking a CBI probe into the Odisha railway tragedy, and termed the move as headlines management. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had announced on Sunday evening that a CBI probe had been recommended into the accident. Slamming the government, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "Even before the Commissioner of Railway Safety has submitted his report on Balasore train disaster, a CBI inquiry is announced." This is nothing but headlines management having failed to meet deadlines, he said on Twitter. Ramesh also raised the issue of the 2016 Kanpur rail accident in which 150 lives were lost, and noted that the NIA has is yet to come out with its report. "Ab yeh Chronology yaad kijiye 1. Nov 20, 2016: Indore-Patna Express derails near Kanpur. Over 150 people lose their lives. 2. Jan 23, 2017: Then Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu writes to Union Home Minister asking for NIA probe into this accident. "3. Feb

Everything back to normalcy after 51 hours: Hardeep Puri defends Vaishnaw

Rahul Gandhi stepped up the attack on the Central government stating that till now "no accountability even after 270+ deaths"

They talked about 'Kavach' but it's not there: Raut on Odisha train tragedy

He pointed out the resignations of Madhavrao Scindia and Lal Bahadur Shastri from Railway ministerships when major train tragedies happened during their respective tenures

LIVE: FIR against unknown people in connection with Odisha train mishap

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Odisha accident: 12 parties demand Rail min's resignation, reject CBI probe

Rejecting a CBI probe into the Balasore train accident, Odisha units of 12 political parties, including Congress and Left parties, on Monday demanded the formation of a Special Investigation Team and resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to pave way for an impartial inquiry. The parties, including Congress, CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML) Liberation, CPI(ML) Red Star, All India Forward Bloc, Samajwadi Party, RJD, NCP, RPI, AAP and Samata Kranti Dal, held a joint meeting here and passed a resolution stating that they rejected a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), accusing the central agency of "working at the behest of the BJP". They demanded that a court-monitored investigation by the central SIT be conducted into the case. However, the ruling BJD in Odisha welcomed the CBI probe and hoped that the "real culprit" behind the incident will be caught. "There is no problem with a CBI probe. We want the real culprit to be nabbed," senior BJD leader and Odisha minister ..

A casual attitude to safety

The tragic train accident in Odisha highlights India's neglect of safety and quality in infrastructure

Off track at Balasore

A CBI probe is puzzling

Odisha crash: Liberty General Insurance sets up helpline to process claims

Insurance provider Liberty General Insurance on Monday said it has set up a dedicated 24/7 helpline facility to serve the families of the victims who lost their lives in the Balasore train accident that left at least 275 people dead and 1,100 injured. Liberty General Insurance provides personal accident coverage to IRCTC train passengers. Families of the victims can call +91-9324968286 to avail the service, the company said. Expressing their commitment to providing quick claims settlement, company CEO and Whole Time Director, Roopam Asthana said, "We stand with our customers in their time of need and will fulfil our promise of protection for the unexpected, delivered with care." "At Liberty General Insurance, we have implemented several extraordinary measures to ensure hassle-free claims process for our policy holders. Our helpline number +91932496286 is a quick point of contact for our policyholders," he said in a statement. A dedicated claims support email ...

Odisha rail crash: NCP accuses Centre of ignoring CAG report, Kavach funds

NCP national spokesperson Clyde Crasto and chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase raised various issues pertaining to these while reiterating the party's stance seeking the resignation of Ashwini Vaishnaw

Reliance Foundation to give jobs to train accident affected families

Reliance Foundation, the philanthropic arm of India's most valuable company Reliance Industries Ltd, on Monday, announced a slew of relief measures, including a free ration for six months and jobs for those affected by the country's deadliest train crash in decades. The foundation will free fuel for ambulances dealing with the disaster through the Jio-BP network as well as free medicines for injured and medical treatment for those needing hospitalisation. "Provision of free ration supplies, including flour, sugar, dal, rice, salt and cooking oil, for the next six months to affected families through Reliance stores" will be made, it said in a statement. The deadliest train accident in nearly three decades left 275 dead and hundreds injured. "While we cannot undo the suffering caused by the tragedy, we are fully committed to helping the bereaved families rebuild their lives and prepare for the future. With this as our solemn mission, we are announcing a 10-point programme to offer ou

Odisha train tragedy: King Charles III sends message of condolence

Britain's King Charles III on Monday sent a condolence message to President Droupadi Murmu, expressing his profound shock and sadness over the deadly train accident in Balasore, recalling his fond memories of a visit to Odisha 43 years ago. The accident, involving three trains, is one of the worst in the country and took place in Odisha's Balasore district on Friday night which has claimed an estimated 275 lives and left over 1,200 people injured. Both my wife [Queen Camilla] and I have been most profoundly shocked and saddened by the news of such a dreadful accident outside Balasore. I would like to express our deepest possible condolences to the families of all those who have so tragically lost their lives, Charles was quoted as saying in a statement issued by Buckingham Palace. In the statement that was also posted across the royal social media channels, the 74-year-old monarch speaks of the special place in his heart for India and reflects upon his fond memories of a visit to ..

Odisha crash: Commissioner of Railway Safety records statements of drivers

The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) on Monday recorded the statements of injured engine driver Gunanidhi Mohanty and his assistant Hajari Behera, who are undergoing treatment at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, officials said. Both were rescued from the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express that derailed near Bahanaga Bazar Station on June 2 that had claimed 275 lives and left around 1,200 injured. Both the drivers are stable. While Mohanty was taken out of the ICU on Monday, Behera is awaiting a head surgery, South Eastern Railway (SER) Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Aditya Choudhury told PTI. Families of both the drivers have appealed to all for privacy and allow them to recover physically and mentally. They claimed that the drivers could not be blamed for the mishap as they operated the locomotive according to rules. Earlier, the Railway Ministry had apparently given clean chit to both of them. The Commissioner Railway Safety, SER Circle, which began its inquiry into the .

Mamata Banerjee announces govt jobs for kin of Odisha train accident

: West Bengal Chief Minister on Monday announced state government jobs for the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the triple train crash in Odisha's Balasore. The West Bengal CM said that relatives of those who lost their limbs in the horrific crash will also be given government jobs. Banerjee added that her government will also give cash aid to those who were on board the Coromandel Express and are currently going through mental and physical trauma. She will visit Bhubanewsar and Cuttack on Tuesday to meet the injured passengers recuperating in different hospitals. She said currently there are 206 injured passengers from West Bengal admitted in different hospitals of Odisha. There are 33 critical passengers in Cuttack hospitals, she said, adding that a few Bengal ministers and senior officers will accompany her. She will distribute the ex gratia cheques and appointment letters to the next of the kin of the victims on Wednesday. The Bengal chief minister added that she

Odisha govt wants to boost tourism with launch of direct Int'l flights

With the launch of direct flights connecting Bhubaneswar to Dubai, Bangkok and Singapore under the Viability Gap Funding scheme, the Odisha government is hopeful of doubling its foreign tourist arrivals in the state by 2025 from its pre-pandemic levels, a tourism official said on Monday. A "Viability Gap Funding" (VGF) is a government grant provided to airlines to bridge the gap between the cost of operations and expected revenues. "The target is to double the foreign tourist arrivals by 2025 to 2.5 lakh from the pre-Covid peak of 1.2 lakh witnessed in 2019," Sachin Jadhav, Director of Tourism Odisha, said. The Odisha government has allocated Rs 660 crore in its budget for the current financial year for the tourism sector. With the launch of direct flights with these three cities, we expect a surge in international tourists taking onward flights to Odisha, Jadhav said during the Odisha Tourism Roadshow here. We have shown a more proactive approach in starting direct flights to ...

Odisha train accident: Injured Coromandel Express driver, assistant stable

The condition of injured engine driver Gunanidhi Mohanty and his assistant Hajari Behera, who are undergoing treatment at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, is stable, officials said. Both were rescued from the Coromandel Express that derailed near Bahanaga Bazar Station on June 2 that had claimed 275 lives and left around 1,200 injured. Both the drivers are stable. While Mohanty was taken out of the ICU on Monday, Behera is awaiting a head surgery, South Eastern Railway (SER) Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Aditya Choudhury told a television channel. Families of both the drivers have appealed to all for privacy and allow them to recover physically and mentally. They claimed that the drivers could not be blamed for the mishap as they operated the locomotive as per rules. Earlier, the Railway Ministry had apparently given clean chit to both of them. The Commissioner Railway Safety, SER Circle, which began its inquiry into the accident on Monday, will record the statements of both of them aft

Odisha Train tragedy: Body identification a major challenge for state govt

The rescue operation in Balasore triple train tragedy has been completed and many discharged also, but the major challenge before the Odisha government is the identification of dead bodies

Odisha accident: Mamata cancels Darjeeling trip to take care of injured

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday cancelled her four-day trip to Darjeeling at the last minute to supervise the treatment and rehabilitation of passengers of the state who were injured in the triple train accident in Odisha's Balasore, sources said. The Trinamool Congress chief was supposed to visit Darjeeling where she was scheduled to meet members of all political parties in the Hills before the panchayat elections slated this year, secretariat sources said. She wants to be in Kolkata and oversee how the rehabilitation and treatment of injured passengers from West Bengal who were on board the Coromandel Express that met with an accident near Bahanaga Bazar in Balasore district. She will visit the Hills later," the source told PTI. The Odisha government on Sunday revised the triple train accident's death toll to 275 from 288, and put the number of injuries at 1,175. Banerjee had on the same day questioned the death figures given by the Railway Ministry, stating