Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Odisha to take stock of what is turning out to be one of the worst train mishaps in the country, with the death toll climbing past 280 on Saturday, and promised “strictest action” against those found guilty. “Took stock of the situation at the site of the tragedy in Odisha. Words can’t capture my deep sorrow. We stand committed to providing all possible assistance to those affected. I laud all those working round the clock, on the ground and helping out in relief work,” he later posted on social media. Later, after visiting the injured at a hospital in Balasore, Modi said, “Strictest action will be taken against those found guilty in the train accident incident. No one will be spared.” Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who reached the accident site Friday night to oversee relief and rescue work, remained in Balasore on Saturday. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who hails from Odisha, too, reached the spot and accompanied the PM. The Railways has announced a high-level probe apart from the statutory investigation by the Commissioner of Railway Safety. Even on Saturday, it did not officially come out with any possible reason behind the mishap. According to sources, signalling error or “interlocking failure” led to the Coromandel Express to wrongly enter a loop line and ram into a stationary goods train. An official statement said the PM emphasised on “'Whole of Government' approach to mitigate this monumental tragedy". He said all possible help would be provided to the injured and their families and that special care must be taken to ensure that the bereaved families are not inconvenienced. “I do not have words to express the pain. Let Almighty give us strength to overcome this situation,” he said, after meeting the victims. Later, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who visited the victims, remarked in the presence of Vaishnaw and Pradhan that the accident could have been averted had the train been fitted with an anti-collision device. This prompted the Centre to put out briefs on the latest iteration of such a technology, Kavach, and its deployment plans. The anti-collision system, Kavach, is still under development. Since its trial a few years ago, it has been deployed only on around a 1,400-km route at South Central Railway. Tenders have been awarded for its deployment on the high-density Delhi-Mumbai route with plans to start its operations by 2024. Last year’s Budget had allocated funds to roll out Kavach on 2,000 km of rail network. Mamata also engaged briefly with Union ministers about the correct casualty figures. “As per my information, the casualty figures could reach 500 as people are still trapped under three coaches,” she said. To that, Vaishnaw said that the rescue work has concluded and that the “official” casualty figure so far (by afternoon) was 238. “The state government’s data is 238,” Vaishnaw told her in front of media persons. Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, too, sent a ministerial delegation to Odisha. The state’s Youth Welfare and Sports Minister Udaynidhi Stalin and Transport Minister S S Shivsankar met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Around 1,200 stranded passengers of the two fateful trains, the Coromandel and the Yeshvantpur-Howrah Superfast, were brought to Howrah by afternoon, where they were attended to by medical teams. Nine teams of the NDRF comprising around 300 rescuers joined hands with the state disaster management apparatus to conclude the rescue operation Saturday. Superfast, were brought to Howrah by afternoon, where they were attended to by medical teams. Nine teams of the NDRF comprising around 300 rescuers joined hands with the state disaster management apparatus to conclude the rescue operation Saturday.
