Kolkata, June 2 (). In Odisha’s Balasore, several coaches of the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express train derailed near Bahnaga railway station in the district on Friday evening. Many people are feared dead in this accident. In such a situation, the Mamta government of West Bengal is sending a six-member team to the spot.
A senior state government official said that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee personally directed Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi to send a team to the accident site and help the people of West Bengal who were traveling.
A government official said that since the train departed from Shalimar station in West Bengal, it is natural that a good number of passengers traveling by the train are from Bengal. The Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary are constantly monitoring the situation.
In a tweet, Banerjee announced her decision to send a delegation from West Bengal to the accident site. He had also expressed apprehension that many of the victimized passengers could be from West Bengal.
“Shocked to learn that the Shalimar-Coromandel Express carrying passengers from West Bengal collided with a goods train near Balasore this evening and some of our passers-by have been seriously injured,” he tweeted. We are in talks with Odisha government and South Eastern Railway for the betterment of our people. Our emergency control room has been activated immediately with numbers 033- 22143526/22535185.
All efforts have been initiated for rescue and assistance. We are sending a team of 5-6 members to the spot to cooperate with Odisha Government and Railway authorities and assist in rescue operations. I am personally monitoring the situation continuously along with the Chief Secretary and other senior officers.
Meanwhile, sources said West Bengal minister Manas Ranjan Bhunia and MP Dola Sen would be part of the team. The Chief Secretary said, the control room of the state government has already been activated. We are in constant touch with the Government of Odisha as well as South Eastern Railway. We are yet to get the details of casualties.
FZ
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