NEW DELHI: In less than two months, three rail accidents have claimed 21 lives and left dozens injured. These fatal accidents and some recent derailments of both passenger and goods trains have brought the focus back on safety issues.
Officials said the exact cause of Howrah-Mumbai Mail train derailment, which claimed two lives would be known after probe by Commission of Railway Safety.They said there is a need to sharpen focus on all aspects of safety, though govt has stepped up spending on safety related works in the recent years.
The data on recent accidents show that 11 passengers were killed on June 17 when two coaches of Kanchanjungha Express were derailed in Darjeeling district in West Bengal. Another fatal derailment of Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express in Gonda in UP on July 18 took four lives. While the provisional CRS probe into Kanchanjungha Express accident has pointed to multiple failures, the commission is yet to come out with its probe report in Gonda accident.
Railway ministry on Tuesday announced ex-gratia compensation of Rs 10 lakh for families of those who lost their lives in Howrah-Mumbai Mail train derailment; Rs 5 lakh for seriously injured, and Rs 1 lakh for those with minor injuries.
After the derailment, some Lok Sabha members expressed concern and demanded that minister Ashwini Vaishnaw make a statement.
Officials said the exact cause of Howrah-Mumbai Mail train derailment, which claimed two lives would be known after probe by Commission of Railway Safety.They said there is a need to sharpen focus on all aspects of safety, though govt has stepped up spending on safety related works in the recent years.
The data on recent accidents show that 11 passengers were killed on June 17 when two coaches of Kanchanjungha Express were derailed in Darjeeling district in West Bengal. Another fatal derailment of Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express in Gonda in UP on July 18 took four lives. While the provisional CRS probe into Kanchanjungha Express accident has pointed to multiple failures, the commission is yet to come out with its probe report in Gonda accident.
Railway ministry on Tuesday announced ex-gratia compensation of Rs 10 lakh for families of those who lost their lives in Howrah-Mumbai Mail train derailment; Rs 5 lakh for seriously injured, and Rs 1 lakh for those with minor injuries.
After the derailment, some Lok Sabha members expressed concern and demanded that minister Ashwini Vaishnaw make a statement.