Odisha Train Tragedy: Taking note of the harrowing Balasore train mishap, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday expressed disagreement over the death toll in the tragedy. On today morning, Banerjee and Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw disagreed on the death toll. West Bengal CM claimed that she heard "the death tool can go up to 500." However, Vaishnaw said, “238 (earlier today) as per state govt data." Banerjee further said the triple train accident in Odisha's Balasore district was the “biggest of the century” and a proper investigation was needed to unravel the truth.
Ashwini Vaishnaw's reaction to Banerjee's claim
However, reacting to Banerjee's claim, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw took a potshot against her and said, "this is not time to do politics." "We want full transparency, this is not time to do politics, this is time to focus on making sure that restoration happens at the earliest," said Vaishnaw.
Mamata Banerjee visited the accident site today
Banerjee, who visited the accident site on Saturday said the crash could have been averted had the anti-collision system was operational on this route. West Bengal CM, who has been the Railway minister twice, further claimed that the safety and security of passengers were being neglected by the Railways.
"There must be something behind this and a proper investigation is needed. The truth must come out. Had there been an anti-collision system, the accident would not have happened. No one cares about the safety and security of passengers," Banerjee said.
Banerjee announced compensation
She also announced compensation to families of West Bengal passengers killed in the accident, critically injured, and to those with minor injuries.
According to Indian Railways, the death toll in Odisha Train Tragedy is 288 while 747 people were injured along with 56 grievously injured, as of 2 pm today.
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