Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday termed the collision on track at the Badarwas station in Madhya Pradesh “unfortunate” and announced a relief package of Rs. 5 lakh to the family of the deceased, along with a railway job to one family member, Rs. 1 lakh for the seriously injured and Rs. 50,000 for the rest of the injured.
Minister of State for Railways K.H. Muniyappa, along with senior railway officials from the West Central Railways and the North Western Railways, rushed to the site.
Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Ghanshyam Singh denied that negligence of staff, allegedly in an inebriated condition, was to blame for the collision.
However, he said, that “the drivers of both the trains have been located and blood samples of the station staff and the drivers have been sent for examination to find out if they had consumed alcohol on duty.”
According to local residents, the district administration's response was delayed and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and the Central Reserve Police Force were the first to arrive on the scene with doctors and medical aid after which the Army came in and took over rescue operations.
The mangled remains of the train were being separated from the wreckage by cranes at the time of filing this report.
Union Minister and Guna MP Jyotiraditya Scindia visited the Shivpuri district hospital to inquire about the victims.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Governor Rameshwar Thakur have expressed grief over the accident. Mr. Chauhan said State airplanes were made available for railway officials to reach the accident site and rescue and relief operations were going on under the supervision of the police, administration and railway officials.
Helplines
Helplines were set up at various railway stations including Badarwas, Guna, Bhopal, Shivpuri, Indore, Bina and Gwalior.
The helpline numbers are: Badarwas: 07495245233/9752417560, Indore: 0731 - 2521044, 2521045, 2521046, Ujjain: 0734 - 2560167, Maksi: 07367 - 233045, Guna: 07542253799/07542254778 and Shivpuri: 07492234407/9752417562
