Enough is Enough! Why the Nations Should be so Insecure in its Greatest Life Line Just Because of Bengal Power Politics?
Let DIDI Take Over the Brahaminical Bengal! Rather Some One from 19 TMC MPs Should Look After Rly as a FULL Timer!
Travelling by Rail in India is Now so HORRIBLE with an UNSAFE Uncertain Network, Indian Railway had NEVER Looked so Volatile! We Have to Wait to see the Game of Private Players in Near Future!
Mamata, Rlys hint sabotage caused train crash!
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Mamata, Rlys hint sabotage caused train crash!
Just RESIGN RLY Minister of Accidents, Compensation and ADVERTISEMENT!Enough is Enough! Why the Nations Should be so Insecure in its Greatest Life Line Just Because of Bengal Power Politics?
Let DIDI Take Over the Brahaminical Bengal! Rather Some One from 19 TMC MPs Should Look After Rly as a FULL Timer!
Travelling by Rail in India is Now so HORRIBLE with an UNSAFE Uncertain Network, Indian Rail had NEVER Looked so Volatile!
We Have to Wait to see the Game of Private Players in Near Future!
A speeding passenger train crashed into another waiting at a station in West Bengal early on Monday, killing at least 60 people and injuring about 100, officials said.
This was the second major accident in West Bengal within two months. In May, a train sabotage blamed on Maoist rebels killed more than 70 people. The Maoists denied the charge.
However, as it has been a Routine nowadays the Railways did not rule out the possibility of sabotage in the train collision involving Uttarbanga Express and the Vananchal Express here, that claimed the lives of at least 60 passengers.Pranab Babu may help the Caolition taking an Intiative for yet another CBI Inquiry!But the Home Ministry appears not to share the suspicion of Railway Ministry that today''s train accident in West Bengal could be a case of sabotage. Officials in the Home Ministry said preliminary reports do not indicate that the accident in Birbhum district, where the speeding Sealdah-bound Uttarbanga Express rammed into the rear of the Ranchi-bound Vananchal Express, has happened due to some kind of sabotage.
With a 63,327-kilometre (39,350 mile) network, the railways play a key role in Indian life, transporting more than 18 million passengers and more than 2 million tonnes of freight daily.
But the system is plagued by overcrowding and outdated technology. Every day, about 8 million passengers cram onto commuter trains in the financial hub of Mumbai, with roughly a dozen fatalities daily.
MAMATA EXPRESSES PROFOUND GRIEF OVER THE LOSS OF INNOCENT LIVES IN TRAIN ACCIDENT
Press Information Bureau
Government of India
* * * * * *
MAMATA EXPRESSES PROFOUND GRIEF OVER THE LOSS OF INNOCENT LIVES IN TRAIN ACCIDENT
EX-GRATIA OF RS FIVE LAKH TO THE NEXT OF KIN OF THE DEAD ANNOUNCED
Kolkata, July 19,2010
The Minister of Railways, Mamata Banerjee has termed the accident involving Uttarbanga Express-Vananchal Express train as most unfortunate and expressed her profound grief over the loss of innocent lives. She has announced an ex-gratia of Rs. Five lakh to the next kin of the dead, Rs. One lakh each to grievously injured passengers and Rs. 25,000 to those who sustained simple injuries. She has also announced jobs in the Railways to one person of the deceased's family. The Railway Minister has given instructions to Railway officials for the speedy relief and rescue operation and effective medical treatment to the injured passengers.
Railway Board officials including, Chairman Railway Board, Shri Vivek Sahai, Member Electrical, Shri Sudesh Kumar, Director General Railway Health Services Dr. Ramteke and senior officials from Eastern Railways and Howrah Division have also reached the accident site to monitor and supervise the rescue and relief operation.
For the convenience of public, helplines were set up at various railway stations including. Howrah, Sainthia, Sealdah, Burdhwan, Malda, Jamalpur, Dhanbad, Katihar, New Jalpaiguri, New Cooch Behar, Ranchi, Hatia and Bokaro Steel city.
Due to this accident following trains have been diverted/cancelled:
Diverted trains
3161 Kolkata – Balurghat Express
5661 Ranchi – Guwahati Express
3150 Alipurduar – Sealdah Express
2513 Secundrabad – Guwahati Express
Cancellation
1. 3048 Howrah – Amritsar Express
2. 215/216 Howrah – Rampurhat- Howrah Passenger
3. 217/218 Howrah – Rampurhat-Howrah Passenger
Train No. 3025 Howrah – Bhopal Express rescheduled. at to 1255 hrs. instead of 1325 hrs.
sc/dk/kol/15:38 hrs.
Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee raised suspicions about the cause of the second major train accident in West Bengal in two months saying, "I am suspicious about the cause of the accident." Eastern Railways General Manager V N Tripathy said, "Nothing can be ruled out.
Ho sakta hai hamara equipment se chherchhar hui ho. Ye sab janch ke bad pata chalega (It may be possible that our equipment might have been tampered with.
It will be known only after inquiry)".
Terming the action of drivers as "unusual" in today's rail accident at Sainthia in Birbhum district, the Railways said the drivers neither applied emergency brakes nor made any attempt to stop the train to avert the collision. "This is very unusual. There was something wrong with loco pilots (of
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Uttarbanga Express)," Chairman Railway Board Vivek Sahai told reporters here after visiting the accident site.
"The brakes were not applied at all not even the emergency brakes though the train was running at a high speed. They (driver and co-driver) did not even try to jump out and were found occupying their seats," he said apparently indicating something amiss in the accident.
View Larger Map
He said the signal was red and it was verified by Member (Electrical), Railway Board, during his spot visit to Sainthia station.
However, Sahai said the main driver was an experienced staff belonging to 'A' category, a post held by only 15 to 20 per cent of all drivers in Indian railways.
Over 60 people were killed in early hours today when the Sealdah bound Uttarbanga Express rammed Vananchal Express from behind at Sainthia station.
The Commissioner Railway Safety, Eastern Zone, is probing the accident.
Asked if the accident would have been avoided had there been an anti-collision device (ACD), Sahai said the technology is still being tested as the Railways was not sure about its efficacy in sections with multiple tracks.
However, he said, "The railways are not abandoning the idea of implementing the device even if they are costly.
"We have already sanctioned their installation in Southern, South-Western and South Central Railway," he said.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Railways-blame-human-error-for-mishap-say-probe-on/Article1-574738.aspx
Taking the lead in espousing this approach was Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee who said she was "suspicious" about the cause of the accident involving Sealdah-bound Uttarbanga Express and Vananchal Express at Sainthia station in Birbhum district early on Monday.
"I am suspicious about the cause of the accident," Banerjee told reporters here when asked about the circumstances that led to the mishap.
"We have some doubt in our mind. Whatever happened is not casual thing. We will take all strong step against those who are behind this," she said before proceeding for the accident site.
She, however, did not elaborate, but said that she had ordered an inquiry.
"Nothing can be ruled out. Ho sakta hai hamara equipment se chherchhar hui ho. Ye sab janch ke bad pata chalega (It may be possible that our equipment might have been tampered with. It will be known only after inquiry)," Eastern Railways General Manager V N Tripathy concurred.
"The Commissioner of Railway safety is holding an inquiry after which we will be able to know what exactly happened."
To another question, he said that the Uttarbanga Express, which rammed into the rear of Vananchal Express, seemed to be running at a much higher speed than it was supposed to while entering the Sainthia station.
"What caused the accident is a mystery to us. The driver of the Uttarbanga Express was a very good driver. He had stopped the train properly at previous station. We are puzzled," the Eastern Railways general manager said.
At least 60 people have been killed and over 90 injured in the train accident today.
"The toll may rise as some are still battling for life in hospital," he said.
Tripathy said all the bodies had been extricated from the damaged compartments and all injured rescued.
"There is no one in any of the affected coaches. We have checked them," he said.
A team of National Disaster Relief Force is at the site with sniffer dogs to trace anyone who was still trapped.
Altogether 167 army men and officers arrived with doctors and para-medical staff from nearby Panagarh and Kanchrapara army stations.
The team members included engineers and metal cutting specialists.
The engine of the Uttarbanga express was totally damaged after it rammed into the rear of the Vananchal Express in Sainthia station in Birbhum district. The luggage van of the Vananchal Express split into two and lay beside the track.
Officials said foul play in Monday's incident was unlikely, although Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said an investigation was under way to find out how both trains came to be on the same track.
Some television channels quoted unnamed railway officials as saying "tampering" with signals could not be ruled out.
The accident occurred when the Uttar Banga Express rammed into the stationary Vananchal Express at Sainthia in West Bengal, said Saumitra Mohan, the area's district magistrate.
Hours after hinting at foul play behind the Uttarbanga-Vanachal Express collision in West Bengal that killed at least 65 people on Monday (July 19), Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said driver negligence could have led to the disaster.Even as the latest rail accident claimed 60 lives and injured 150 people in West Bengal, the railway ministry is still prevaricating over installing anti-collision devices (ACDs) on its trains.
This year, 13 accidents, including the latest one, have claimed scores of lives, and the impact at Sainthia station in Birbhum Monday was so severe that the top of one of the coaches rammed into the foot overbridge across the platform.
Officials say the ACD, designed and developed by former Konkan Railway managing director B. Rajaram, has a success rate of 99.9 percent in preventing collisions after it was commissioned by the Konkan Railway and the Northeast Frontier Railway.
Incidentally, it also had the support of Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee in her earlier stint at Rail Bhavan here.
'Its implementation is being delayed over the years by successive revision of norms by the Railway Board even though the technology met the conditions successfully in every instance,' Rajaram, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology at Kharagpur, told IANS.
Rajaram raised this issue with Banerjee in a letter written April 5 this year, drawing her attention to the money earmarked for the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO), the ministry's apex research body.
'Indian Railway never produced a world class technology since independence. We spend so much of funds on RDSO, but we have nothing innovative of world class to export from RDSO or even to be used on Indian Railways,' he said.
'We just import. RDSO is used to assist to import.'
The letter said the device named 'Raksha Kavach' was developed indigenously and was even singled out from the millions of global patents and praised as a unique safety system by the World Intellectual Property Office in Geneva.
'But the multinational companies which have much to lose if ACD comes in operation, have consistenly been fighting a proxy technology war using our own retired and even working railway officers.'
He went on to say that at every stage of development, hurdles were raised and said its implementation in the Northeast Frontier Railway would have been blocked but for former railway minister and present Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Then Railway Board chairman K.C. Jena had stated that ACDs were to be installed in the southern zones by 2009 before its phase-wise implementation in all railway zones.
The ACD pilot project was assigned to the Northeast Frontier Railway for thorough testing, considered to be among the most challenging zones for railway safety and plagued by erratic power supplies and faulty signalling.
'Railway experts, doubting if the technology will work under highly adverse conditions prevailing in Northeast Frontier Railway, said if the ACD showed results it will succeed anywhere in the world. Its success silenced its critics,' Rajaram said.
The ACD, showcased by National Geographic channel, detects the presence of two trains approaching each other, or even when a speeding train moves towards a stationary train on the same track, bringing them to an immediate halt before possible collision.
'The ACDs fill up gaps of what existing systems cannot do, like averting collisions even in block sections (the distance between two stations beyond the range of signals) and in foggy weather when signals are not visible,' said Rajaram.
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Banerjee however, refused to rule out other angles. "All angles are being explored. The train should have been running at slow pace. The driver's body was found in a sitting position. We will investigate into this and also probe why the train was running at high speed," she said to reporters while inspecting the accident site at Sainthia railway station in Birbhum district.
Eastern Railway officials say the accident occurred when Vananchal Express - which was several hours behind the scheduled time of 20.54 pm on Sunday, was delayed leaving the station. At 1:40 am on Monday, the on-schedule Uttarbanga Express, approaching the station at an inexplicable high speed of around 60 kmph collided with the stationary Vanachal Express from behind. The impact destroyed the last two coaches and sent one of them flying to hit an overhead bridge. It is still not clear why the moving train, which was to halt at the junction station, was running at such a high speed. The driver of the Uttarbanga Express and the guard of the Vanachal Express were killed in the accident.
"The death toll has gone up to 60," Samir Goswami, a railway spokesman, said. "It looks like this is the final toll. There are also several seriously injured undergoing treatment in hospitals."
The impact of the crash saw several coaches thrown upwards in a mangled heap. Thousands of people milled around the accident site. Some helped in rescue operations.
Television images showed rescue workers cutting through the wreckage to pull out survivors. Some passengers were seen climbing out of emergency exit windows.
"It was dark, maybe around 2:15 a.m. (2045 GMT), and people were crying for help. One coach was flung onto an over-bridge under the impact," Sandip Kumar Mondal, among the earliest to reach the spot and rescue some people, told Reuters.
Senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee on Monday sought to dismiss suggestions that Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee's absence from her Ministry was the reason for recurrence of train accidents.
"Accidents are accidents. Nobody can predict, that's why it is an accident. I don't think so," he told reporters when asked whether the country needs a full time Railway Minister as there was another accident in less than two months.
More than 60 people are feared dead and 90 injured in an early morning collision between Uttarbanga Express and Vananchal Express that took place at Sainthia station in Birbhum district of West Bengal.
Meanwhile, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has condoled the loss of lives in the train accident in Sainthia and conveyed her deep condolences to the bereaved families and wished speedy recovery to the injured.
On May 28, 148 people had lost their lives in another accident in the state when the Jnaneshwari express had met with an accident near Jhargram, with the Railway minister alleging a 'political conspiracy' behind it.
| Left Front wants CBI inquiry | ||||
| 19 Jul 2010, 2020 hrs IST, AGENCIES | ||||
The Left Front on Monday (July 19) demanded a full fledged inquiry into the second major train accident in West Bengal in two months saying Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee should spend more time on passenger and railway security than on inaugurations. "There have been 17 railway accidents in the last one year and the Railway Minister should concentrate more on the safety of passengers and security of the railways instead of television-oriented train inaugurations," Left Front chairman Biman Bose told a press conference in Kolkata. Bose, who is also the CPI (M) state secretary, demanded that the Railways conduct a "full fledged inquiry" to ascertain the cause of today's accident. "If the Railways think it is not equipped to do this, it can entrust the job to CBI," he said. Bose alleged that the Railways have been compromising on safety and security of passengers because nearly one lakh posts mostly from the safety and security sections were lying vacant. Citing figures, he said, "At present the Railways have a vacancy of 90,883 of which 6,399 are for drivers and 36,360 for gang men who are very important for the maintenance and safety and security of the Railways." He demanded that the Railways fill up all vacant posts immediately so that the safety and security of passengers were not compromised. "It has been pointed out in the CAG report that the signalling system, engineering division and the coaches are not up to the mark. There are also less than required walkie-talkies, search-lights and metal detectors," Bose claimed. |
http://www.timesnow.tv/Left-Front-wants-CBI-inquiry-/articleshow/4349915.cms
Terming the action of drivers as "unusual" in today's rail accident at Sainthia in Birbhum district, the Railways said the drivers neither applied emergency brakes nor made any attempt to stop the train to avert the collision.
"This is very unusual. There was something wrong with loco pilots (of Uttarbanga Express)," Chairman Railway Board Vivek Sahai told reporters here after visiting the accident site.
"The brakes were not applied at all not even the emergency brakes though the train was running at a high speed. They (driver and co-driver) did not even try to jump out and were found occupying their seats," he said apparently indicating something amiss in the accident.
He said the signal was red and it was verified by Member (Electrical), Railway Board, during his spot visit to Sainthia station.
However, Sahai said the main driver was an experienced staff belonging to 'A' category, a post held by only 15 to 20 per cent of all drivers in Indian railways.
Over 60 people were killed in early hours today when the Sealdah bound Uttarbanga Express rammed Vananchal Express from behind at Sainthia station.
The Commissioner Railway Safety, Eastern Zone, is probing the accident.
Asked if the accident would have been avoided had there been an anti-collision device (ACD), Sahai said the technology is still being tested as the Railways was not sure about its efficacy in sections with multiple tracks.
However, he said, "The railways are not abandoning the idea of implementing the device even if they are costly.
"We have already sanctioned their installation in Southern, South-Western and South Central Railway," he said.
LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan on Monday demanded a judicial probe into the train mishap in Birbhum district of West Bengal and blamed Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee for the accident which left 60 people dead and over 90 others injured.
Meanwhile, the BJP too raised eyebrows about the capability and willingness of Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee in providing safety to passengers and suggested that if she continued to use her office for playing politics in West Bengal she should be made "minister without portfolio".
"Mamata Banerjee should concentrate on railways. If she is using the railways as a platform for politics in West Bengal, it is better to make her a minister without portfolio," BJP spokesperson Tarun Vijay said.
The BJP has also slammed Mamata Banerjee's ministry for the accident saying it was time to stop making excuses and take responsibility. General secretary Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the political war between the Left and Mamata Banerjee was repeatedly affecting the common man.
Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "Whether it is negligence or sabotage, her ministry is responsible. The Prime Minister should do something about it. There should be a probe."
More than 60 people are feared dead and 90 injured in an early morning collision between Uttarbanga Express and Vananchal Express that took place at Sainthia station in Birbhum district of West Bengal.
Five major train accidents have taken place since Banerjee took over as the Railway Minister in 2009.
When asked if BJP would demand her resignation, the spokesperson said at the moment the party only wanted an inquiry into the latest incident. "The accident has raised serious doubts about the railways capability to provide safety and a comfortable journey," Vijay said.
"Why Railways have not learnt lessons till now is a serious question," he added.
He suggested that the inquiry into the latest accident should also look into this issue.
Vijay said the statement of Banerjee after the accident that she has "deep doubts" about its cause seems to suggest that it could be a Naxal attack or a case of sabotage.
"It is a serious lapse on the part of the Railways...There were no Naxal activities and no fog even then such a major accident occurred," Mr. Paswan told reporters here.
The former Railway Minister demanded a judicial probe into the incident.
Alleging that Ms. Banerjee was concentrating on poll-bound West Bengal alone at the cost of the Railways, Mr. Paswan asked her to make her stand clear whether she would focus only on her home state or look after the affairs of her ministry.
At least 60 people were killed and over 90 passengers injured when a train in high speed tore through the rear of another at the Sainthia station in Bhirbhum district, after it apparently overshot the signal in the small hours of the day.
Sainthia rail collision
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Sainthia rail collision | |
| Details | |
| Date | July 19, 2010 |
| Time | 02:00 |
| Location | Sainthia, West Bengal |
| Country | India |
| Rail line | |
| Operator | Indian Railways |
| Type of incident | Rear-end collision |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 2 |
| Deaths | 56 |
| Injuries | 150 |
The Sainthia rail collision occurred on July 19, 2010 in Sainthia, West Bengal, India, when the Uttarbanga Express collided with the Vananchal Express. 56 people were killed,[1] and more than 150 people injured.[2]
Contents[hide] |
[edit] Accident
The accident occurred 191 km from Howrah at 02.00 am (IST) when the Uttarbanga Express, travelling from New Cooch Behar to Howrah, hit the stationary Bhagalpur-Ranchi Vananchal Express. The impact completely destroyed three rear compartments of the Vananchal Express.
[edit] Rescue operation
Officially, 50 bodies have been recovered, with rescue efforts ongoing. Injured people were sent to the local Suiri Hospital.
[edit] Compensation
Railway Minister Mamta Banerjee has announced compensation of a total of Rs 500,000 for the dead, 100,000 for the seriously injured, and Rs 25,000 for minor injuries, and that the railway would provide jobs for the relatives of those killed.[3]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iY2fwp5iEmGoJIWFU_073iXZtQawD9H1U7D80
- ^ Dozens dead in train crash in eastern India
- ^ Rs 5 lakh, job to kin of dead in accident: Mamata Times of India, 19 july 2010
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Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sainthia_rail_collision"
Categories: Railway accidents in India | Railway accidents in 2010 | 2010 in India | History of West Bengal | Transport in West Bengal
West Bengal Govt. announces compensation for train mishap victims
West Bengal Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta on Monday announced a compensation of Rs 3,00,000 to the families of those killed in the train mishap in West Bengal's Birbhum District.
"From the state government, we have taken a position to provide three lakhs rupees for each member of the deceased family and we will take care of the financial responsibility and treatment of all injured persons as well," said Dasgupta.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Railways E. Ahmed today said stern action would be taken against those found guilty.
"The inquiry probe has been ordered. Once the report is available, the railways will take appropriate action. If any railway employee is found guilty, railway will deal sternly," said E. Ahmed.
The train collision involving Uttarbanga Express and the Vananchal Express claimed the lives of at least 60 passengers and left over 100 others injured.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has deployed five teams of National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) consisting of 140 personnel to assist in the rescue and relief operations.
Meanwhile, the Army sent a 167-member team of doctors, engineers and technical specialists to help rescue operations.
The Air Force has kept one Mi-17 helicopter on standby each at its Barrackpore and Kalaikunda stations.
An inquiry headed by the Commissioner of Railway Safety has been ordered into the incident.
Railway authorities have opened several helpline numbers and control rooms in Sealdah, Malda, Bhagalpur and Howrah.
Helpline numbers: Ranchi: 0651-2600263/64, 2460488, 2461404 -- Sealdah: 033-23503535, 23503537, -- Malda: 06436-222061 -- Bhagalpur: 06412-4222433 -- Jamalpur 063444-3101.Eyewitnesses spell out horror of West Bengal train collision
Rescue workers and eyewitness spelled out the horror of the train accident involving Uttarbanga Express and the stationary Bhagalpur-Ranchi Vananchal Express at Sainthia station in West Bengal's Birbhum District on Monday.
Locals from the surrounding areas came out in large numbers and helped in rescue operations immediately after the collision.
"It was the last bogie of Vananchal. I did not see it because I had arrived late, but then I came to know that it was hit so fiercely that the bogies pilled up on each other due to the impact," said Guddu Majumdar, an eyewitness.
People at the spot described the horrific scene, which was laden with cries of trapped victims and severed limbs splattered all across the railway tracks.
Rescue officials said that as soon as they reached the spot, their first priority was to evacuate trapped victims from the mangled coaches of the trains.
"We reached here at 8: 45 a.m. Soon after reaching here, we started the rescue work. First thing we did was to evacuate the victims, the trapped victims," said Timir Kumar Mandhata, Officiating Commandant of National Disaster Response Force.
An inquiry headed by the Commissioner of Railway Safety has been ordered into the incident that claimed the lives of 60 passengers and left over hundred others injured.
Railway authorities have opened several helpline numbers and control rooms in Sealdah, Malda, Bhagalpur and Howrah.
Helpline numbers: Ranchi: 0651-2600263/64, 2460488, 2461404 -- Sealdah: 033-23503535, 23503537, -- Malda: 06436-222061 -- Bhagalpur: 06412-4222433 -- Jamalpur 063444-3101. (ANI)Congress stands behind Mamata Banerjee
The Congress in West Bengal Monday firmly stood behind Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee and demanded a high-level inquiry into the train accident in the state's Sainthia town that killed at least 61 people.
'We demand a detailed and high-level inquiry into the incident. We want the truth to come out. Rail tracks are soft targets. Memories of Gyaneshwari (express tragedy) are still fresh in our minds,' West Bengal Congress president Manas Bhuniya said.
Bhuniya rubbished the state's ruling Left Front's observation that Banerjee was an incompetent railway minister.
'Mamata Banerjee is doing her best as a railway minister. She is a minister of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. She is a very efficient minister,' added Bhuniya, who was on his way to the accident spot.
At least 61 people were killed and 157 injured early Monday after a speeding Sealdah-bound Uttar Banga Express rammed into three coaches of the stationary Bhagalpur-Ranchi Vananchal Express at Sainthia station in West Bengal's Birbhum district, about 190 km from Kolkata.
19/07/2010
Bengal rail accident due to human error?
Sainthia: Is human error responsible for the horrific rail accident that took place in the early hours of Monday morning in West Bengal's Birbhum district that left over 60 dead and nearly 157 injured.
Contrary to what Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee felt (She suspected sabotage), the Railway Board Chairman said that human error might have caused the accident. The chairman said that the driver of the Sealdah-bound Uttar Banga Express had time to brake and that the train was travelling at an unusually high speed at that time. Until we wait for more details, here's a wrap up of what has happened so far:
A speeding express train ploughed through a train standing at a station in West Bengal's Birbhum district early Monday, killing at least 61 people and injuring more than 150. It was the second train disaster in the Communist-ruled state in less than two months that have taken a toll of over 200 lives.
The Sealdah-bound Uttar Banga Express slammed into three coaches, one luggage van and two unreserved second class coaches, of the stationary Bhagalpur-Ranchi Vananchal Express at Sainthia station in Birbhum, about 190 km from Kolkata, at about 2.15 a.m., railway authorities said.
All three coaches were badly mangled by the severity of the collision with one of the coaches shooting from the tracks and almost mounting the footbridge above. Gas cutters were used to cut open the coaches and bring out the dead and rescue the injured.
"Many of the bodies got pasted in the coaches. In some cases, we only managed to extricate body parts, rather than whole bodies," said a rescue worker. While the army was called in to help, locals were the first to rush to help as cries of the injured passengers, many of whom had lost their limbs, cut through the dark night.
Said a woman, who was travelling with her child and was jolted out of sleep: "I saw there were many injured people in the coach ahead of ours. Many had lost their upper or lower limbs. Some others had lost the upper parts of the body."
Among the dead were 58 passengers and three employees of the India Railways that runs 10,000 passengers trains a day that ferries 1.8 million passsengers, the largest under a single operator in the world. The toll was expected to go up with 37 of the 157 injured in a critical condition.
The three railway employees who died are driver M.C. Dey, assistant driver N.K. Mandal of the Uttar Banga Express and the guard of the Vananchal Express A. Mukherjee.
As relatives of the passengers in the two trains frantically looked for some information, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed shock at the second accident in less than two months in her home state.
The official position of the railways was that the possible cause could be that the driver of the Uttar Banga Express overshot the signal. Others said the signal system could also have failed. Brake failure and inattentiveness of officials at Sainthia could be a factor.
The train, sources said, was running at 110 km per hour and had made an unscheduled stop at Gadadharpur station just nine kilometres away. Why, they asked, was the train going at such high speeds minutes before the scheduled Sainthia stop. Banerjee also had her doubts about how the accident occurred.
She told reporters at Sainthia: "I have some doubt in my mind regarding how the accident was caused. We will talk about it after detailed investigation."
The accident occurred 52 days after the Gyaneshwari Express tragedy on May 28 in which 148 people died as Maoist guerrillas cut open the pandrol clips ((used to fix the rail to the sleeper) near Jhargram in West Midnapore district of the state that is ruled by a Marxist-led left coalition for nearly three and a half decades.
Bodies from Sainthia were sent to the district hospital Suri, the headquarters of Birbhum district, which with a 50-bed surgical ward was ill-equipped to handle the numbers of injured, Government Railway Police (GRP) sources said.
While the railway ministry announced compensation of Rs.5 lakh to the kin of those killed and a job, the state government said it would give Rs.3 lakh each.
Banerjee also announced compensation of Rs.1 lakh for the grievously injured and Rs.25,000 for those who sustained minor injuries while the West Bengal government promised to bear all the expenses.
The tragedy, ahead of the elections next year, also set political temperatures boiling with the ruling CPI-M asking Banerjee, chief of the opposition Trinamool Congress, to accept responsibility. The Commissioner of Railway Safety will conduct a probe.
Vananchal Express reaches Ranchi
Ranchi: The Bhagalpur-Ranchi Vananchal Express, which was hit by a speeding passenger train in West Bengal's Birbhum district early Monday, reached Ranchi around 4.30 p.m. as a host of anxious relatives waited at the station. At least 60 people were killed in the accident.
The Sealdah-bound Uttar Banga Express rammed into three coaches, a luggage van and two unreserved general second class coaches of the Vananchal Express while it was standing at Sainthia station in Birbhum.
"I was sleeping on the upper berth and all of sudden, I felt a strong jerk and fell down on the ground. My hand was fractured. After first aid, I continued my journey," said Santosh Kumar, a passenger.
Pintoo Singh, another passenger, said: "The impact (of the collision) was very strong. Though our coach was safe, we felt something wrong had happened. I thank God I survived the accident".
Describing the scene at the spot of the accident, he said it was "horrible". "People were screaming for help. It was the first time in my life that I witnessed such a horrible scene," he said.
As soon as information about the accident was received, relatives of passengers reached Ranchi station to make enquiries. As the train arrived at Ranchi, people who saw their kin well were relieved.
Raj Kumar, a resident of Ratu road, was not so lucky. "I called the mobile of my son-in-law and it was picked by a policeman and I was told to arrive at Saithia station to identify the body," he said. He left in a special train arranged for relatives of the killed and injured passengers.
Trains suspended as Maoist banners found on tracks
Kolkata: Train services in the Jhargram-Tatanagar section of the South Eastern Railway (SER) were suspended after Maoist banners were found on the tracks between Jhargram and Khatkura halt stations in West Bengal's West Midnapore district Monday.
A spokesperson of the SER said: "The driver of a goods trains noticed the banners on railway tracks while passing through that section and subsequently alerted the senior officials." "Soon the train movement was stopped on the section due to security reasons," he said.
"A search operation is being carried out throughout the section. Train services will resume after getting clearance from the security personnel," said the SER spokesperson. Maoists are active in three western districts -- West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia -- in West Bengal.
The Eastern Railway has opened two helplines (numbers 23503537 and 23503535) at Sealdah for news of the victims. Helplines have also been opened at Howrah, Bhagalpur and Jamalpur stations
Source: IANS
By R Shankar, India Syndicate, 19/07/2010
Mamata didi, when will you learn to take responsibility?
Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee may have been too young to have reacted or to have been inspired by Lal Bahadur Shastri, her predecessor at Rail Bhavan many years ago. When Shastri resigned in 1956 following a train accident that killed around 150 passengers near Ariyalur in Tamil Nadu, Mamata was just a few months old. But the lesson still lasts and Mamata could do well by brushing up with India's political history.
After Shastri resigned, Jawaharlal Nehru, forced him to come back the next year saying "No one could wish for a better comrade than Lal Bahadur, a man of the highest integrity and devoted to ideas".
Can the same be said of Mamata who, after a series of accidents ever since she took over, has only blamed others than shouldering responsibility. Every time there is an accident, she is quick to point fingers at others - mainly the CPM government in West Bengal.
Look at Mamata's track record: After she took over as Railway Minister in 2009, over 250 rail passengers lost their lives in rail accidents. But no word of resignation.
To make matters worse, the rescue tools used to rescue trapped passengers at the Sainthia station in West Bengal early on Monday that claimed over 60 lives were outdated. The gas cutters just did not work, the cranes took its own time to reach the spot.
The problem is that Mamata spends most of her time in Bengal and not at the Rail Bhavan in Delhi where she should be hands on trying to look into the world's largest rail network. Like the Bhagalpur-Ranchi Vananchal Express was hit from behind by the speeding Sealdah-bound Uttarbanga Express at Sainthia station in West Bengal early on Monday killing over 60 people, Mamata is either stationary or overspeeding trying to pull down the CPM government or on the wrong track.
As LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan rightly put it: Mamata should chose her priority - whether she wants to be the Minister for Railways in Delhi or minister of `derailment' politics in West Bengal. Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee may have been too young to have reacted or to have been inspired by Lal Bahadur Shastri, her predecessor many years ago. When Shastri resigned in 1956 following a train accident that killed around 150 passengers near Ariyalur in Tamil Nadu, Mamata was just a few months old. But the lesson still lasts and Mamata could do well by brushing up with history.
Here are the list of mishaps during Mamata's short tenure:
November 14, 2009: The Delhi-bound Mandore Express derailed with some portion of the track piercing its AC compartment, leaving seven passengers dead and over 60 injured in in Bassi town near Jaipur.
October 21, 2009: Twenty-two people were killed and 26 injured when the Goa Express rammed the Mewar Express at Banjana on the Mathura-Vrindavan section of the Northern Railway in Uttar Pradesh.
2 January 2010 - Three accidents involving five trains took place in Uttar Pradesh due to dense fog conditions, killing 15 people.
16 January 2010 - Three people died and around a dozen were injured when two express trains -- Kalindi Express and Shram Shakti Express -- collided in thick fog in Uttar Pradesh.
May 28, 2010 - Jyaneshwari Express derailed by Naxals killing at least 148 people.
July 19, 2010: Bhagalpur-Ranchi Vananchal Express hit from behind by the speeding Sealdah-bound Uttarbanga Express at Sainthia station in West Bengal killing over 60 people.
Source: By R Shankar/India Syndicate
http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4172014&page=0
19 July 2010 Last updated at 11:06 GMT
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India's patchy railway safety record
By Soutik Biswas BBC News, Delhi
Indian Railways, a state-run behemoth with over 1.4 million employees, aims to eliminate accidents by 2020.
But Monday's crash in West Bengal state - where 60 people died when a passenger train ploughed into another - shows it will not be easy to meet this goal.
The world's fourth largest railway network - over 63,000km (40,000 miles) long, just behind the US, Russia and China - continues to have a patchy safety record: there have been more than 1,000 accidents since 2004 alone.
The number of crashes may have declined - 177 in 2008-09, down from 320 in 2003-04, and an alarming 2,000 in 1960-61- but safety remains a pressing issue.
More than 200 people died in railway accidents in 2008-09. So far this year about 200 people have already died in accidents, the majority in a collision caused by suspected sabotage of tracks by Maoist rebels.
This despite a special $3.6bn (£2.4bn) railway safety fund to make travelling safer for more than 6bn passengers who every year use the transport network known as India's lifeline.
The money has been set aside to repair decaying tracks, bridges, signalling gear and rolling stock, among other things.
'Cause for concern'
But an internal assessment by the railways admits that a substantial portion of the money remains unutilised - "a cause for concern".
Particularly worrisome, it says, is the "slow progress" of work on building railway bridges as well as upgrading and manning crossings across the country.
Unmanned railway crossings - there are nearly 17,000 - have been responsible for over a third of all railway accidents since 2004, and account for nearly 70% of the fatalities.
In some states, like West Bengal, they actually outnumber manned railway crossings.
Train collisions, such as the one on Monday, are also one of the main causes of accidents - there were 13 such crashes during 2008-09 and they led to a number of fatalities.
"Collisions remain a big danger and they are always caused by human failure, despite our fail-safe systems," says IIMS Rana, former chairman of the Indian Railway Board.
Railways officials say they have rolled out a locally made anti-collision device on more than 1,700km of tracks in north-eastern India. Improved devices are expected to roll out in the rest of the country.
But former railway officials like Mr Rana say that India still lags behind on anti-collision technologies, which are standard in the West.
They talk about a device which, once installed on a train, brings it to an automatic stop if it overshoots a red signal.
"We don't have such systems. Money is also a constraint," says Mr Rana.
Then there are accidents caused by trains coming off the tracks - there have been 550 since 2004. Derelict or ill-maintained tracks are to blame.
Sabotage
Sabotage of tracks is also becoming an alarming and relatively new cause of accidents - a lot of networks run through territory where India's Maoist rebels have a presence, and the insurgents have been known to remove track fish-plates.
Sabotage, in fact, was responsible for 13 accidents in 2008-09, up from only four cases in 2004-05.
If you look at railway's internal safety records, human errors made by people "other than railway staff" are to blame for most accidents - 75 of the 177 accidents in 2008-2009 are attributed to such elements.
It is not even clear who these other people to blame for the accidents - they are perhaps those who are crossing unmanned crossings when they get hit by oncoming trains.
Analysts say the problem with Indian Railways is that it has been lagging behind despite the increase in revenues from improved passenger and freight growth.
For example, it has added a mere 220km of new track every year since 2004, compared with over 1,000km of new track by China's railways.
There is really no excuse, analysts say, for a "bloated" organisation like Indian Railways to renege on promises of ensuring a safe journey for passengers.
Clearly, it needs to move quickly and invest in upgrading tracks and signals, and importing state-of-the art technology to make journeys safer.
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WB Left MLAs demand Mamata's resignation over train accident
Noisy scenes broke out in the West Bengal Assembly on Monday over the major train mishap in Birbhum district with ruling Left Front members demanding immediate resignation of Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on moral grounds.
The Left Front MLAs accused Ms. Banerjee of being indifferent to the safety and security of passengers - a charge vehemently denied by Legislators of her party Trinamool Congress and ally Congress.
The Trinamool Congress smelt a conspiracy behind repeated train mishaps in the State and demanded a thorough probe by the Union Government and the Railways.
Congress chief whip Asit Mal dubbed the demand for Ms. Banerjee's resignation as politically motivated and alleged that the attempt to politicise the tragic incident was not proper even as Speaker H. A. Halim expressed concern over frequent train accidents.
Mr. Halim said there was something wrong somewhere but did not apportion any blame or hint at any conspiracy.
Raising the issue, senior CPI(M) member Robin Mondal alleged that the only aim of the Railway Minister seemed to be how to become chief minister after the 2011 Assembly polls.
He also alleged that there was utter neglect of maintenance and safety and security of passengers. Railway travel had become unsafe and passengers were nervous to undertake journeys, he said.
Mr. Mondal, who was strongly backed by other Left Front members, said the Railways engaged in self-publicity with regular newspaper advertisements on introduction of new trains and other activities, ignoring the basic need for safety.
When improving infrastructure and ensuring proper functioning of the inter-locking system and brakes were the need of the hour, the Railway Minister was found wanting and negligent, he said.Loudspeaker announcements failed to halt Uttarbanga Express
PTI Rescue work is in progress at the accident site at Sainthia Station where the Uttarbanga Express hit the stationary Vananchal Express, in West Bengal's Birbhum district early Monday.
Authorities at Sainthia station made frantic announcements over loudspeakers to the driver of the Uttarbanga Express moments before it tore into the Vananchal Express here on Monday.
"We announced repeatedly over loudspeakers asking the driver of the Uttarbanga Express to brake as the Vananchal Express was just starting to leave platform No. 4," Assistant station master of Sainthia Pulak Chakraborty told reporters.
Mr. Chakraborty said that the Uttarbanga Express entered the station at a high speed on the same track as the Vananchal Express although the 'home signal' was not given.
The Uttarbanga Express, which was to halt at the station, entered at a high speed and collided on the rear of the Vananchal Express with a loud bang, Salam Sheik, a hawker, said.
"We ran for safety at first, but returned to help with the rescue operations," he said.
A cabinman, who preferred anonymity, said that the Uttarbanga Express driver was at fault.
After the collision, tinned condiments, gutkha pouches, plastic bangles, plastic torchlights, mineral water bottles, scarfs and towels were found strewn on the platform and the tracks.
Three motorbikes, wrapped in jute bags, were also lying on the tracks.
Eyewitnesses claimed that these were being unloaded from the vendor compartments of the Vananchal Express, which was already running five hours late. -
Rising train mishaps worries Buddha
India Blooms News ServiceKolkata, July 19 (IBNS): West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Monday said he is 'concerned' over the increasing number of train accidents in the state, referring to Monday's train tragedy that claimed at least 61 people.
-
"The rising in number of train accidents in recent times is a matter of serious concern. I feel the authority should seriously look into the matter for better safety of life and property," Bhattacharjee said in a statement.
"Over 60 people have died and hundreds injured in the train accident at Birbhum's Sainthia station. I extend my condolences to the bereaved families of the victims," the CM said, adding the the state government has engaged all its machineries in the rescue operations.
"The District administration, in coordination with the police and health department, has come forward in the rescue operations and treatment of the injured," he said.
Tragedies on the track continued to haunt India as 61 people were killed and many wounded in a major train accident in West Bengal early on Monday, barely two months after an accident in the state blamed on the Maoists claimed 148 lives.
The train accident occurred in the wee hours of Monday when two trains- Uttar Banga Express and Vananchal Express- collided as they came on the same track at Sainthia station, about 200 km north of Kolkata.
Around 2 am Down Uttar Banga Express bound for Kolkata plowed into Down Vananchal Express bound for Ranchi.
The Vananchal Express was about to leave from platform number 4 of Sainthia station when the tragedy occurred, railway officials said.
In a train accident in West Bengal involving Jnaneswari Express and blamed on the Maoists at least 148 people were killed in May this year. -
'Railways neglect safety measures'
India Blooms News ServiceNew Delhi/Kolkata, July 19 (IBNS) Reacting on West Bengal train accident that claimed at least 61 people on Monday, the Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) accused the Railway ministry for neglecting maintenance and safety measures.
"The number of rail accidents has been unprecedented in the last one year. Maintenance of equipment and safety measures are being neglected in the railways. One lakh jobs in safety related jobs remain vacant," the Polit Bureau said in a statement.
The Polit Bureau asked the Centre to intervene into the Railway Ministry.
"The government cannot keep quiet about the present state of affairs in the railways," the statement read.
"The Polit Bureau expresses its shock and sorrow at the terrible railway accident due to the collision of two trains in Sainthia railway station leading to the tragic death of at least 60 persons. It conveys its deep condolences to the families of those killed and sympathy to those injured," the statement added.
Tragedies on the track continued to haunt India as 61 people were killed and many wounded in a major train accident in West Bengal early on Monday, barely two months after an accident in the state blamed on the Maoists claimed 148 lives.
The train accident occurred in the wee hours of Monday when two trains- Uttar Banga Express and Vananchal Express- collided as they came on the same track at Sainthia station, about 200 km north of Kolkata.
Around 2 am Down Uttar Banga Express bound for Kolkata plowed into Down Vananchal Express bound for Ranchi.
The Vananchal Express was about to leave from platform number 4 of Sainthia station when the tragedy occurred, railway officials said.
In a train accident in West Bengal involving Jnaneswari Express and blamed on the Maoists at least 148 people were killed in May this year.News for Railway Accidents in India
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Searches related to Railway Accidents in IndiaMishap a case of neglect; PM should take a call: CPI(M)
Attacking Railway Minister and rival Trinamool leader Mamata Banerjee over spate of train accidents, the CPI(M) on Monday said the latest mishap in West Bengal was a clear case of negligence and asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to "take a call" on issue.
Terming Ms. Banerjee's statement suggesting that the accident could be an act of sabotage as "highly irresponsible", CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said the accident in Sainthia was "clearly a case of negligence. There has been no act of sabotage, nothing has been removed.
"You have a Minister whose attention is elsewhere and the country is paying the price for that", he said "this is something which cannot be accepted in the collective responsibility of the Cabinet.
"The Prime Minister has to take a call. It is high time he takes a call because in the past one year, the highest numbers of railway accidents have taken place," Mr. Yechury claimed.
Replying to questions, he said "it is for the Prime Minister to take whatever action he deems fit and for the people to judge".
"Earlier the Minister used to say that somebody else has caused the accident. But here is a train standing at a station and another hits it from behind.... what about the anti-collision devices and other high technology which was promised in the (Railway) budget."
Asked whether the CPI(M) would demand Ms. Banerjee's resignation, he said "asking for resignation is meaningless because in this government, the levels of political morality is so low that it does not matter" and added that what is required was rectification of the situation.
"People will have to see and call spade a spade. They have to see how things have been allowed to degenerate because of this high level of neglect", Mr. Yechury said.
In a statement, the CPI(M) Polit Bureau expressed shock and sorrow at the Railway accident and conveyed deep condolences to the families of those killed and sympathy to those injured.
"The number of rail accidents has been unprecedented in the last one year. Maintenance of equipment and safety measures are being neglected in the railways," the party said.
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West Bengal
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India train crash leaves dozens dead
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Train accident in West Bengal
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All related videos »The "Blame game" begins after the accident
ALLY IN TIMES OF DISTRESS. (From top) Mamata Banerjee and Pranab Mukherjee New Delhi/Patna/Kolkata, July 19 (PTI): The train accident today gave fodder to non-UPA parties to target Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee who was accused of being busy with West Bengal politics at the cost of her ministry but the government defended her.
BJP, LJP, RJD and CPI(M) said the collision betweeen Sealdah-bound Uttarbanga Express and Uttaranchal-bound Vananchal Express in Bhirbhum district of West Bengal was the result of a lapse for which they held Banerjee answerable.
More than 60 people are feared dead and 90 injured in an early morning collision between Uttarbanga Express and Vananchal Express that took place at Sainthia station in Birbhum district of West Bengal.
"You have a Minister whose attention is elsewhere and the country is paying the price for that," CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said. Contending that "this is something which cannot be accepted in the collective responsibility of the Cabinet," he said, "The Prime Minister has to take a call. It is high time he takes a call because in the past one year, the highest number of railway accidents have taken place."
Five major train accidents have taken place since Banerjee took over as the Railway Minister in 2009. When asked if BJP would demand her resignation, the spokesperson Tarun Vijay said at the moment the party only wanted an inquiry into the latest incident.
"The accident has raised serious doubts about the railways capability to provide safety and a comfortable journey," Vijay said.LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan said in Patna that the Railway Minister will have to "make a choice as to whether she wants to be Railway Minister or do West Bengal politics. Both cannot go together. The loss of so many lives in every three months is not tolerable." Demanding a judicial probe into the train mishap, the former Railway Minister said, "It is a serious lapse on the part of the Railways...There were no Naxal activities and no fog even then such a major accident occurred."
Banerjee's predecessor and RJD chief Lalu Prasad said, "This is a sad incident and a serious lapse." Apparently targeting Banerjee, he said, "I don't understand why such accidents are taking place." He, however, evaded a direct reply when asked about allegations that Banerjee was concentrating on West Bengal politics and in turn ignoring her department.
Noisy scenes broke out in the West Bengal Assembly today over the major train mishap in Birbhum district with ruling Left Front members demanding immediate resignation of Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on moral grounds. The Left Front MLAs accused Banerjee of being indifferent to the safety and security of passengers - a charge vehemently denied by legislators of her party Trinamool Congress and ally Congress.
Congress chief whip Asit Mal dubbed the demand for Banerjee's resignation as politically motivated and alleged that the attempt to politicise the tragic incident was not proper even as Speaker H A Halim expressed concern over frequent train accidents. Halim said there was something wrong somewhere but did not apportion any blame or hint at any conspiracy.
Raising the issue, senior CPI-M member Robin Mondal alleged that the only aim of the Railway Minister seemed to be how to become chief minister after the 2011 Assembly polls. He also alleged that there was utter neglect of maintenance and safety and security of passengers.
Railway travel had become unsafe and passengers were nervous to undertake journeys, he said. Mondal, who was strongly backed by other Left Front members, said the Railways engaged in self-publicity with regular newspaper advertisements on introduction of new trains and other activities, ignoring the basic need for safety. When improving infrastructure and ensuring proper functioning of the inter-locking system and brakes were the need of the hour, the Railway Minister was found wanting and negligent, he said.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, meanwhile, sought to dismiss all suggestions that Banerjee's absence from her Ministry was the reason for recurrence of train accidents.
"Accidents are accidents. Nobody can predict, that's why it is an accident. I don't think so," he told reporters when asked whether the country needs "a full-time" Railway Minister as there was another accident in less than two month.Meanwhile, Congress President Sonia Gandhi has condoled the loss of lives in the train accident in Sainthia and conveyed her deep condolences to the bereaved families and wished speedy recovery to the injured.
On May 28, 148 people had lost their lives in another accident in the state when the Jnaneshwari express had met with an accident near Jhargram, with the Railway minister alleging a 'political conspiracy' behind it.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100719/jsp/frontpage/story_127002011.jsp
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