Attempts being made to hide the truth behind accident: Mamata
Says it’s the ‘biggest train accident of this century’
Terming the recent triple-train mishap in Odisha’s Balasore as the “biggest train accident of this century”, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday hit out at the BJP-led Centre alleging that there were “attempts to suppress the possible causes which might have triggered the tragedy”.
“Attempts have been made to hide the truth behind the accident. The investigation is not being done properly as there were attempts of a cover-up. The evidence has been removed already. I hope that the truth will come out,” Banerjee said while handing over compensation cheques and appointment letters to the family members of those killed or injured in the railway accident at Netaji Indoor Stadium on Wednesday.
Referring to the incident of CBI raids in various civic bodies, Banerjee slammed Centre and said: “Instead of railway accident investigation, Delhi has been sending CBI in 14-16 municipalities of Bengal. The CBI has entered the Urban Development Department. Will they now enter the washrooms? Nobody will be able to cover up the truth behind such a big accident. Those who were killed in the accident will never return but there must be a genuine probe into the incident.”
The Chief Minister said that 103 from Bengal were killed in the incident and 86 of them could be identified so far. She also said that 172 suffered major injuries while 635 had minor injuries. “You (the Centre) will not be able to suppress the truth. Family members of those injured and killed in the accident also want to know the reason for the accident. The culprit behind it must face strict punishment,” she said.
“We can’t bring the dead back. What we can do, instead, is to secure their families future. We need to make sure that those who lost their lives, their children, their parents and their spouse are not left alone during these troubling times.”
She added: “We have provided a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the families of the 86 people who lost their lives. We have also given their kin the appointment letter for the post of Special Home Guard. The state has also given Rs 10,000 to the families for their daily requirements.”
Banerjee also stated: “We will also be giving Rs 2,000 each for the next three months to these families. Three people who got injured in the accident and have become handicapped; the state has given a job offer to a member of their family for the post of Special Home Guard.”
Around 800 migrant workers from Bengal, who have faced extreme trauma are also receiving compensation of Rs 10,000 and Rs 2,000 for the next three months, Banerjee added.
