Wednesday, December 25, 2024 | 07:03 AM ISTEN Hindi

LIVE: Mamata Banerjee questions death figures in Balasore train crash

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BS Web Team New Delhi

Mamata Banerjee questions death figures in Balasore train crash, says 61 persons dead, 182 missing from Bengal only.

Railways officials today dismissed speculations that the Kavach system could have prevented the accident since the reaction time and distance were very short as the train was travelling at a very high speed. "If an obstruction comes suddenly in front of a high-moving vehicle, then no technology in the world would prevent an accident," Jaya Varma Sinha, Member of Operation and Business Development, Railway Board, said in a press conference today. Some kind of interference was there, whether it was manual, weather-related, or anything else would be revealed by a full probe, Jaya Varma added underlining that there is possibility of equipment failure in all electronics systems.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw who took stock of the restoration work at the Balasore train accident site in Odisha on Sunday said that track laying has ben done on one of the two main lines. "PM Modi visited the accident site and met patients at Baleswar District Hospital yesterday and has given instructions according to which the work is being done. Restoration work is underway. Out of the two main lines, track laying work has been done on one of them and is underway on the other," Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters here. Railway Minister said that the accident that claimed the lives of 288 passengers happened due to a change in electronic interlocking.

11:29 PM

Saudi Arabia cuts oil output by 1 mn barrels per day to boost sagging prices

Saudi Arabia said Sunday that it will reduce how much oil it sends to the global economy, taking a unilateral step to support the sagging cost of crude after two earlier production cuts by members of the OPEC+ alliance of major oil-producing countries failed to push prices higher.

10:52 PM

Ensuring availability of welfare scheme to citizens is top priority: Khattar

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday said 12.5 lakh new ration cards have been generated with the help of Parivar Pehchan Patra' to ensure the availability benefits of public welfare schemes to eligible citizens. Addressing people at an event in Karnal, Khattar said beneficiaries can visit the office of the additional deputy commissioner to get their Below Poverty Line (BPL) data updated so that they can continue to get ration benefits.

10:05 PM

Balasore train accident: 123 trains cancelled, 56 diverted

The railways has cancelled 123 trains, diverted 56, short-terminated 10 and rescheduled 14 trains due to the accident in Odisha in which 275 people were killed. These trains include those with journey commencing from June 3 to June 7.

8:20 PM

Telangana spends Rs 12k-cr per year to give free power to farmers: CM KCR

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday said his government has been spending Rs 12,000 crore annually for providing free power to farmers in the state. Speaking at a public meeting here, the Chief Minister said the food processing industry will be a focus area after the Assembly polls in Telangana.

6:06 PM

Odisha police warns against giving communal colour to triple train tragedy

Odisha Police Sunday appealed to all sections to desist from circulating rumours giving a communal colour to Balasore's triple train accident where at least 275 people have died and over 1,100 injured. The Odisha police also warned that severe legal action will be initiated against those found trying to create communal disharmony by spreading any rumor.

5:53 PM

Odisha revises train tragedy toll at 275

The Odisha government on Sunday revised the triple train accident's death toll to 275 from 288, and put the number of injuries at 1,175. According to Chief Secretary P K Jena, some bodies were counted twice. "After detailed verification and a report by Balasore District Collector, the final toll has been fixed at 275," he said.

4:23 PM

Train crash: Modi govt's incompetence, only high decibel PR, says Congress

The Congress on Sunday demanded the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and said the Odisha train tragedy was "man-made" devastation caused by "utter negligence, serious lapses in the system, incompetence, a narcissistic sense of 'know it all' attitude by the Modi government clubbed with high decibel PR that has "exposed the hollowness at every level of railway governance".

4:22 PM

Train crash: Modi govt's incompetence, only high decibel PR, says Congress

3:42 PM

Train crash: PIL in SC seeks to set up inquiry commission under retired judge

A PIL has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Centre for setting up an inquiry commission headed by a retired apex court judge to probe the cause of the train accident in Odisha's Balasore district that has left 288 people dead.

10:40 AM

Odisha Train Accident: Root cause of accident identified, will try to restore track today, says Vaishnaw

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who reviewed the restoration work at the Balasore triple train collision site, said the root cause of the accident has been identified and the track will likely be restored by today.

"The root cause of this accident has been identified. PM Modi inspected the site yesterday. We will try to restore the track today. All bodies have been removed. Our target is to finish the restoration work by Wednesday morning so that trains can start running on this track," Vaishnaw told ANI.

10:39 AM

Odisha Train Accident: Singapore PM condoles Odisha train derailment

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has written to PM Narendra Modi to express condolences on the Odisha train derailment, said Simon Wong, High Commissioner of Singapore to India.

9:09 AM

Medical experts from AIIMS Delhi to visit Odisha's train accident site

A team of medical experts from AIIMS Delhi to visit Odisha's train accident site along with medical equipment to provide treatment to more than 1,000 injured and 100 critical patients, according to media reports.

9:08 AM