Sonia meets kin of rail accident victims, farmers

Congress President Sonia Gandhi today met the families of those who lost their lives in the recent train accident in Bachrawan area of her constituency and assured them that she will take up the issue of compensation with the Railway Minister.
"I had gone there to offer condolences to them... They have got something (in compensation) and we will talk to the government in this regard," she told reporters.
When her attention was drawn to the alleged delay in probe and distribution of compensation, she said, "Something has been given... Will talk further with the (Railway) minister (Suresh) Prabhu."
At least 38 people were killed and 150 others injured when engine and two adjoining coaches of Dehradun-Varanasi Janata Express derailed near Bachrawan Railway station on March 20.

Gandhi also met farmers who have suffered crop losses due to untimely rains in her constituency.
The Congress President drove straight to Pachwar village after landing at the Fursatganj airport this morning to take stock of the losses suffered by the farmers because of the recent untimely rains and hailstorm.

The farmers apprised Gandhi of their plight and claimed that no administrative official has visited the village for conducting a survey so that compensation could be given to them. Gandhi gave a patient hearing to the farmers.
She also visited Bandipur and Shivpuri villages where the farmers showed her damages to wheat and mustard crops in the fields to stress the magnitude of their losses.

The farmers also drew her attention to the poor state of tube-wells in the area because of which they were facing immense hardship and alleged that the administration was neither cooperating nor listening to their grievances.
Gandhi assured the farmers that she would take up the issue with officials concerned and exert pressure on the government so as to help them get proper compensation.
Later, she went to Sarvoday Nagar locality and met kin of Shivendra Singh who was killed in the railway accident. She also visited Utarpara village where three members of a family including noted 'Kathak' exponent Shitla Prasad Misra were killed in the train accident.

The Congress leader inquired whether the families have received any help from the central government and was told that though the central help had reached them, the assistance announced by the state government was yet to come.
Gandhi also met 14-year-old Dhananjay, who has been rendered handicapped in the accident, and promised medical help. Dhananjay belongs to the family of Shitla Prasad Misra.