After assessing the situation at the train accident site in Balasore, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya returned to Delhi on Monday.
Vaishnaw oversaw the entire rescue operation and restoration work at the site for two days, while Mandaviya visited Bhubaneswar AIIMS hospital on Sunday to inquire about the health of the victims.
The incident took place around 7 pm on June 2 near the Bahanaga Baazar station in Balasore district, about 250 km south of Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubaneswar, resulting in the deaths of at least 275 people. The incident also left over 1000 people injured.
The mishap involved the Bengaluru-Howrah Express and Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express — and a goods train.
Meanwhile, the investigation into the tragic Odisha train accident, which claimed numerous lives, has been handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
On Sunday, Union Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the accident occurred due to a “change in electronic interlocking”.
Electronic interlocking is an arrangement of signal apparatus that prevents conflicting movements between trains through an arrangement of tracks. It is basically a safety measure to prevent signals from being changed in improper sequence. The system’s goal is to only allow trains to proceed when the route is proven safe.
On Monday, Indian Railways commenced the operation of passenger trains on the tracks in Bahanaga village in Odisha’s Balasore, which were affected by the triple train accident.
However, Indian Railways on Monday resumed running passenger trains on the route affected by the accident.
Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday waved at the crew of a goods train and offered prayers for a safe journey, as services resumed after 51 hours of a train accident in Balasore.
“Services on both tracks have been restored. Normal train services on both lines have now been restored, 51 hours after the accident,” said Ashwini Vaishnaw.
This report is filed by ANI news service.
