‘Not intending to hide anything’: Odisha govt dismisses allegation of manipulation of death toll

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Secretary PK Jena on Monday said that the state government has no intention of hiding the deaths in the Balasore triple train accident and asserted that the entire rescue operation is being carried out in full public view. Responding to allegations of fudging the death toll, Jena said the Odisha government believes in transparency. “Media persons are present at the accident site since the beginning. Everything is being done in the presence of cameras,” he added.

“Railways had given the death toll as 288. We had also said, and this figure was based on information received from Railways. But, our Balasore District Collector has confirmed the death toll, and till 10 am on Sunday The figure was 275.” ” They said.

Asked about the change in the toll, Jena said it was due to double counting of some bodies. The Chief Secretary said that there is no restriction on the entry of media persons at the accident site. “The rescue and even restoration activities continued in full public view,” he added.

It may be noted that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee questioned the death toll, saying that 61 people from her state had died and 182 were still missing. “If 182 are missing from one state and 61 have been confirmed dead, where do the figures stand?” he asked while addressing a press conference. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav refused to answer any questions from reporters regarding Banerjee’s allegation.

The Chief Secretary said that out of 275 bodies, only 108 could be identified. He said the state wanted all the bodies to be identified so that they could be cremated by their families. “Considering the prevailing hot weather, the bodies are decomposing rapidly. Therefore, the state may wait for a maximum of two more days before disposing of them as per law,” he added.

train services resume in balasore

Train services resumed at Bahanaga train accident site in Balasore, 51 hours after Friday’s tragic triple train accident. A goods train completed a run on the affected section, clearing the way for resumption of services between Kolkata and Chennai from midnight last night. South Eastern Railway sources said that long distance trains like Howrah-Chennai Mail, Howrah-Puri Express, Howrah-Bengaluru Express, Howrah-Puducherry Express, Shalimar-Thiruvananthapuram Express pass through Bahnaga.

Officials said that from today all the trains on the route will be normal. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav congratulated all those who have worked tirelessly to restore services. He said the probe is on and will go to the root cause of the accident. The Railway Minister, who reviewed the restoration work at the Balasore triple train collision site yesterday, said the accident occurred due to a change in electronic interlocking.

Vaishnav has said that his aim is that the family members of the people who went missing after the horrific triple train accident that took place in Odisha’s Balasore on Friday, June 2, find them at the earliest.
“Our aim is to ensure that the family members of the missing people find them as soon as possible… Our responsibility is not over yet,” Vaishnav told reporters on Sunday night. He also waved to the crew of a goods train and prayed for their safe journey as services resumed after repairs to damaged tracks on both the Up and Down lines.

The accident involving three trains has killed at least 280 people and focused attention on the issue of railway safety. The resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav is being demanded from some quarters.

Railway Ministry demands CBI probe into Odisha triple train accident

Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Railways has demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the derailment of three trains in Odisha’s Balasore. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav told reporters, “Considering what happened, taking into account the information available with the administration, the Railway Board has recommended that the investigation be handed over to the CBI.”

The railways minister had earlier attributed the horrific collision to a change in “electronic interlocking” and said all would be revealed in a report soon. “The setting of the point machine was changed. How and why this was done will be revealed in the investigation report… I can only say that the root cause and those responsible for the criminal act have been identified,” he said. ”

The Railways said “signal interference” caused the Coromandel Express to derail and its engine and coach collided with a goods train loaded with iron ore parked on a loop line. More than 280 people died in Friday’s accident, which is being described as one of the worst train accidents in the country.