Will there be an accountability, Cong asks PM on Odisha train accident

New Delhi: Raising questions on the Odisha train accident, the Congress on Sunday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi that “will there be any accountability for this massive operational failure”.

“The death toll is steadily rising. More and more details coming out about how this tragedy unfolded. So massive was this operational failure that three trains collided. Will there be any accountability, PM Narendra Modi? Or will your government shirk responsibility from the biggest train tragedy in living memory?,” Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal asked.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also hit out at the government and said, “Yesterday we were quiet out of respect. Today at 12 noon my colleagues Shaktisinh Gohil and Pawan Khera will ask searching questions of the Modi government on Railway management, especially on safety that has been compromised in the PR campaign of the Prime Minister and the Railway Minister. Recall that Lal Bahadur Shastri resigned in the wake of the November 1956 Ariyalur train disaster and Nitish Kumar did so following the ghastly Gaisal train tragedy in August 1999.”

The remarks from Congress leaders came a day after the Railways said that 288 people have died and over 800 injured in the horrific train tragedy near Bahanaga Bazar Railway station in Odisha’s Balasore district on Friday evening.

21 coaches of the Coromandel Express and the SMVP-Howrah Superfast Express derailed and capsized leading to one of the worst train accidents in last few decades.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday chaired a high-level meeting in Delhi and also visited the accident site in Balasore.

He said that best medical treatment will be provided to the injured, and guilty will not be spared.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has been camping at Balasore accident site since Saturday morning.

(IANS)