Gyaneshwari derailment case still unsolved, says Mamata

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) organised Bijoya Sammilani programme at a school building in Jhargram’s Khemasuli on Wednesday, where TMC supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while speaking on various issues, accused The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of trying to disturb communal harmony in West Bengal.

She said, “They (BJP) themselves are a communal force and are trying to create disturbances. But we won’t let them succeed as Bengal has been a place of secularism and it will remain so.”

While speaking about the Gyaneshwari Express derailment case, Banerjee said the CBI failed to solve it since five years. The incident took place in Bengal’s West Midnapore district in 2010. Around 71 passengers were killed and 200 injured when 13 coaches of Mumbai-bound Gyaneshwari Express derailed in West Midnapore. At that time, Banerjee was the railway minister. 

Banerjee said she herself handed over the case to CBI after the incident took place. However, confusion prevailed over whether a bomb blast by Maoists or an act of sabotage by removal of fish plates led to the derailment.

She also spoke about the newly developed company Bengal Birbhum Coalfields Ltd (BBCL), which will develop India’s largest coal mine in Deocha-Pachami and Birbhum.

Banerjee on her Facebook post said, “Bengal Birbhum Coalfields Ltd (BBCL), a new baby is born today. The new company will develop India’s largest coal mine in Deocha-Pachami, Birbhum, which is estimated to have more than 2 billion tonnes of coal. The mine will supply coal to the power plants in Bengal and other states. Lakhs and lakhs of employment will be created and socio-economic 

infrastructure of the region will change radically, giving a huge boost to the economy and large benefits to the people. My best wishes to everyone.” 

Banerjee would stay in a guest house in Jhargram and she would leave for Gopiballabpur on Thursday morning.