Shivpuri, September 21: Twenty passengers were killed and about 50 injured, 28 of them grievously, when a goods train collided with the stationary Indore-Gwalior Intercity Express at approximately 0530 hrs yesterday at Badarwas Station, Railway sources said.
The dead included four women and 16 men. Twelve of the injured were hospitalised here, nine in Guna, a serious case was referred to Gwalior and other victims were discharged after the first aid. The goods train was heading towards Guna from Gwalior. Badarwas is roughly 50 km from this district headquarters, sources informed .
The Madhya Pradesh unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has demanded Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee’s resignation in view of spiralling accidents.
”Today’s mishap is evidence of utter negligence. The Railway Ministry is falling victim to neglect and mismanagement. Ms Banerjee is managing her Ministry from Darjeeling. Instead, she should have made a beeline for the site,” party state unit Secretary Badal Saroj alleged in a statement issued in Bhopal. Ms Banerjee has announced ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh each for
families of the deceased, Rs 1 lakh for each of the severely injured and Rs
50,000 to the others hurt.
Preliminary reports held the goods train driver responsible for the mishap as he took the train forward sans a signal and allegedly jumped out of the locomotive in the moments prior to the accident after which the Railway administration launched all-out efforts for rescue and relief.
Badarwas comes under the Guna-Shivpuri Section of the West Central Railway’s Bhopal Division. Divisional Railway Manager Ghanshyam Singh and other senior officials are guiding relief work.
The driver is untraceable, sources added.
–UNI