Odisha Train Accident: Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of Bengal, is currently at the scene of the train accident in Baleshwar, Odisha. Mamata flew out of Dumurjala in Howrah on Saturday morning. On Friday night, Mamata tweeted her sympathies, “On Friday evening, a Shalimar-Karamandal Express carrying passengers from West Bengal collided with a goods train near Baleswar. Many of the injuries were severe. For passengers from our state, we are in contact with the South Eastern Railway and the government of Odisha. In case of an emergency, the control room has also been opened.”
The Bengal CM expressed her sorrow over the sad tragedy where three trains derailed one on top of the other in a horrifying sequence, killing at least 233 people and wounding more than 900 in Odisha’s Balasore district. The Bengal CM kept an eye on the situation from her Kalighat residence for nearly the entire night. She is really concerned and has reached Balasore today to assess the situation. In this context, she has also spoken with Naveen Patnaik, the chief minister of Odisha. The team that she sent to Balasore last night was in contact with her. The Bengal CM has pledged to offer the Odisha government every kind of help with the rescue efforts and medical care for the injured.
Delegation Of Mamata Government
Late on Friday night, a delegation led by West Bengal Minister Manas Bhuniya and Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen arrived at the scene of the train disaster. Two emergency phone numbers, 033-22143526 and 22535185, have been activated by the West Bengal government as of Friday night.
PM Modi To Visit Accident Site
Following the devastating rail tragedy that claimed over 300 lives, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Odisha today, according to government sources. He will proceed to the accident scene in Balasore before going to the hospital in Cuttack, according to what they said. In order to examine the situation in relation to the rail tragedy, PM Modi has also called a meeting. The South Eastern Circle commissioner of railway safety is leading a thorough inquiry into the train collision that occurred in Odisha at the same time. Such accidents are examined and scrutinized by the commissioner of railway safety, who works under the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
Cause Of Accident
The “Kavach” anti-train collision system was not installed on the route where the terrible accident took place, according to the national railway authority. The Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, and a cargo train were all involved in the catastrophe, which claimed approximately 300 lives and injured over 1000 others. Although the precise reason for the disaster is yet unknown, sources have speculated that a signaling malfunction may have occurred.
Preventive Measures
The installation of “Kavach,” a preventive system created to prevent train crashes, is now being carried out by the railway authorities throughout the network. When a train operator disregards a signal (sometimes referred to as “Signal Passed at Danger” or “SPAD”), which is a major factor in train accidents, Kavach activates as an alert mechanism. If it detects another train on the same track within a certain distance, the system has the potential to immediately alert the train operator, take over control of the brakes, and automatically stop the train.
Senior officers from the Railway Board, zonal railways, and divisions were directed to conduct a “thorough review of the working practices” while visiting various sections, crew lounges, maintenance facilities, work sites, etc. to ensure that the safe operational and maintenance procedures recommended to prevent accidents or unusual incidents were being followed.
Source: Bureau
