The Hindu : Rails were new, says Nitish

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 23, 2002

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National

Rails were new, says Nitish

Hasnabad (West Bengal) Dec. 22 . The Railway Minister, Nitish Kumar, today said a `break' had been found on the rails at the spot of yesterday's derailment of the Kacheguda-Bangalore Express and the reason behind it was being investigated.

"There is a breakage in the track. The cause of the mishap is being investigated by the police and the Commissioner of Railway Safety personnel", Mr. Kumar told reporters here.

Not ruling out the possibility of "sabotage" being a cause for the accident, he said "one should not jump to any conclusion." He however mentioned that "the rails were new ones and of class one quality." Asked if the Railways could absolve its responsibility in cases of sabotage, Mr.Kumar said, "In every case, we do not say it is due to sabotage ... we cannot absolve our responsibility, but there are some constitutional provisions. So far as security is concerned, it is under the State Government."

Earlier, the Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Tapan Sikdar, accompanying Mr. Kumar said, he had been informed by Mr. Kumar that there could be subversive activities behind the mishap.

No enmity with Mamata

Mr. Kumar said he did not have any enmity with the Trinamool Congress Chief, Mamata Banerjee, and that his only political foes were the Rashtriya Janata Dal and its chief, Laloo Prasad Yadav.

PTI

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