Odisha train accident: Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) relaxed its claim settlement process for victims of the Odisha train accident, corporation chairperson Siddhartha Mohanty said on Saturday. LIC announced many concessions to lessen the trials and tribulations of the claimants. Expressing grief over the death of nearly 300 people, Mohanty announced many concessions to mitigate the hardships of the claimants of LIC policies and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana.
‘LIC committed to supporting those affected’
“LIC of India is deeply saddened by the tragic train accident in Balasore, Odisha. LIC of India is committed to supporting those affected and will expedite claim settlements to provide financial relief,” Mohanty said. The chairperson said this was aimed at mitigating the hardships of the claimants of LIC policies and also members of Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana.
“In lieu of registered death certificates, list of casualties published by Railway Authorities, Police or any State or Central Government Authorities will be accepted as proof of death. Special Help Desk has been set up at Divisional and Branch level to respond to claim-related queries and for providing assistance to claimants,” Mohanty said in a statement.
Help desks to help victims
All efforts will be taken to ensure that the claimants are reached out and claims are settled expeditiously to the affected families, the statement added. For further assistance, claimants may contact their nearest branch, division or customer zones, the LIC said. “The claimants may also call at our call centre - 02268276827,” it added.
Odisha train tragedy
As many as 275 people were killed and more than 1100 injured on Friday (June 2) as three trains collided in Odisha's Balasore area. The accident happened when the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, headed towards Chennai, derailed. It collided with a goods train on the adjacent track, causing the rear carriage of the Coromandel Express to veer off onto the third track. The Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, coming from the opposite direction on the third track, rammed into the derailed coaches.
The two trains had been travelling at a high speed and carried around 2,000 passengers on board. Seventeen coaches were derailed and severely damaged in the collision, trapping hundreds of passengers. Preliminary investigations have revealed that a signal was given to Coromandel Express to enter the main line but it was taken off and the train entered the loop line, where it crashed into a goods train parked there.
Also Read: Odisha train accident: Root cause 'identified', says Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw
