(Eds: With additional inputs) Bhubaneswar, Nov 22 (PTI) Train services were restored on the Howrah-Cuttack route on Tuesday, a day after being suspended due to the derailment of a goods train at Korai railway station in Odisha’s Jajpur that led to the death of three people, officials said.
However, no train will stop at Korai railway station for five days as restoration work is yet to be completed.
Several trains crossed Korai without a halt, they said, adding that speed limit on trains has also been imposed.
The decision was taken after East Coast Railway (ECoR) General Manager Roop Narayan Sunkar and Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) M M Choudhury visited the spot on Monday for a preliminary inspection before the launch of a proper investigation.
Sunkar handed over an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of the kin of the deceased, Rs 1 lakh for grievous injuries and Rs 25,000 for minor injuries.
Three women were killed and four others were injured after eight wagons of the goods train, en route to Chhatrapur in Odisha from Dongoaposi in Jharkhand, derailed and ploughed into passengers on the platform, and also damaging several structures at the railway station.
Among the deceased, Parbati (55) and her daughter Kandhei (26) were waiting for a passenger train to reach Cuttack for the latter’s MRI scan as she had developed a tumour in the abdomen. Kandhei’s two-and-half-month-old son, Biswajit, however, had a miraculous escape.
Forty-seven-year-old Abujan Bibi also died in the accident. All the deceased hail from Jajpur district.
The railway station building was also damaged in the incident that affected rail traffic with several trains being cancelled, partially cancelled, and diverted.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced an ex-gratia relief of Rs 5 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased, Rs 1 lakh assistance for the severely injured and Rs 25,000 for those who suffered minor injuries.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed grief over the train mishap and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of the victims. PTI AAM RG ACD ACD
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Source: The Print
