Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw Thanks ‘Heroes’ of Balasore Amid Buzz Around Probe

Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday met the ‘heroes’ who provided medical help to the victims of the Balasore train accident.

On June 2, the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and a goods train collided near Balasore, claiming over 270 lives and leaving over a 1,000 injured.

The minister will also participate in Yoga Day activities in permit ground, along with local leaders and railway staff, said a source.

THE THANKSGIVING

The exemplary efforts proved to be a big help to authorities trying to get people out and recover the bodies inside the coaches. The ‘heroes’ include local people, along with doctors, police, RPF personnel, and railway staff.

“Hon’ble minister will be in Balasore on International Yoga Day. On the specific day, he will take part in a Yoga program organized in the zone,” said Yogesh Baweja, DG (PR), Indian Railway.

“While what happened is unfortunate, people of the country still rely on Indian Railways for their day-to-day travel. We are operating thousands of train successfully, and motivation from superiors play a crucial role in it. The minister’s presence will motivate the staff of zone and division,” said an official from the Railway board on condition of anonymity.

‘STAFF COOPERATING’

Aditya Kumar Chaudhary, CPRO of South Eastern Railway, confirmed that till now, staff had been called in for both inquiries, and each of them is cooperating with the facts, figures, documents and other crucial aspects of their job.

This came after the stories about one staff from the signaling department allegedly missing after appearing before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) once.

The CBI took over the investigation into the train accident on June 6. The CBI had already filed a First Information Report (FIR). The agency became involved when allegations of tampering with the electronic interlocking system were raised after the accident. Several theories zeroed in on issues with interlocking systems.

The Commission of Rail Safety is also leading a separate investigation to know what went wrong. The inquiry aims to see if it was a technical flaw, a human error, or a case of signal sabotage.