Railways announces ex-gratia for victims of Bihar train mishap; orders inquiry
21 Aug 2013 4:27 AM IST
Railway minister Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of those killed in the train mishap in Bihar’s Khagaria district and ordered an inquiry into it.
In a statement in the Rajya Sabha, Kharge said he has spoken to Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on steps to maintain law and order to facilitate normal train operations. ‘On humanitarian grounds an ex-gratia amount of Rs 5 lakh for those who lost their lives and Rs 1 lakh for those grievously injured has been announced,’ he said.
Responding to members’ demands for Rs 10 lakh compensation to the families of the deceased, Kharge said the money being paid was in line with compensation given in recent times. A speeding express train ran over devotees waiting on tracks to stop it, leaving many persons dead and triggering angry protests by locals who attacked the train driver and set afire its coach besides engine of another train at Dhamara Ghat Station in Khagaria district.
In a statement in the Rajya Sabha, Kharge said he has spoken to Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on steps to maintain law and order to facilitate normal train operations. ‘On humanitarian grounds an ex-gratia amount of Rs 5 lakh for those who lost their lives and Rs 1 lakh for those grievously injured has been announced,’ he said.
Responding to members’ demands for Rs 10 lakh compensation to the families of the deceased, Kharge said the money being paid was in line with compensation given in recent times. A speeding express train ran over devotees waiting on tracks to stop it, leaving many persons dead and triggering angry protests by locals who attacked the train driver and set afire its coach besides engine of another train at Dhamara Ghat Station in Khagaria district.
Next Story
