Medical team, transport arrangements made for affected passengers at Howrah Rly Station

Kolkata: Arrangements, including food, water, transport and medical assistance were made by the Railway officials, district administration and state police at the Howrah Railway station for the passengers arriving from Balasore on Saturday.

According to Railway officials, a medical booth, ambulance, first aid facility with doctors, coordination with the state medical hospital in Howrah for admission, food packets and water bottles, amongst others were provided at the station. They were also equipped with an e-wheel chair, wheelchair and stretcher at platform number 8 of Howrah Railway Station.

The transport department has arranged four buses and a few small cars for families, who contact us through our counter here. “There are many people who are from Bihar, if they want to travel there we can drop them till Dharmatala where they can get buses to Bihar,” Anupam Singh, DCP Howrah (North) said.

South Eastern Railway on Saturday also plied one special train from Howrah to Balasore at 4 pm. This train carried the relatives of injured and dead passengers due to a railway accident at Bahanaga Bazar.

Emergency Help desks were opened at Howrah Railway 033-26413660. People can also contact the existing enquiry numbers of Howrah station–22244, 22255, 22266. A Special Control Room with the telephone number– 94326 10488–has been opened at Lalbazar in order to receive any information in connection with the Balasore train accident.

“We are here in close coordination with the railway and local administration, we are putting out all effort for better management of the situation. Medical officers, ambulances are here. Hospitals are also ready. If required we will bring more medical officers,” Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) of Howrah district said. More than 15 ambulances were present at the Howrah station and more ambulances are ready at the hospital. “No expenditure for management or treatment of such cases, nothing they (passengers) have to pay. We will arrange everything,”

CMOH added.

Eighteen passengers who suffered injuries in the train accident were admitted to different hospitals in Kolkata. Out of the total, five are Kolkata residents. Out of them, four have been discharged after treatment while one identified as Poornima Rani Bagha (47) of Haridevpur currently getting

treatment at a private hospital.

Out of the total number, 13 are from districts. Out of which, 10 have been discharged after treatment but three are admitted and undergoing treatment.

These three identified as Fatema Bibi (19) of Basihat, Sankar Das (35) of Basirhat and Parimal Halder (61) of Kulpi are admitted in Calcutta Medical College and Hospital, NRS Medical College and Hospital, and B R Singh Hospital.