'Abandonment of railways by Modi government…': Kharge on Bengal collision
After the collision between Kanchanjungha Express and a goods train in West Bengal, the Congress on Monday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government of "criminal abandonment" of the Indian Railways. In a post on X, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said, "In the past 10 years, Modi Govt has indulged in the utter mismanagement of the Railway Ministry." The Kanchanjungha Express—traveling from Silchar to Sealdah—was struck by a goods train near Rangapani station on Monday morning, killing at least eight people.
'Opposition shall make Modi government accountable...': Kharge
"As a responsible Opposition, it is our bounden duty to underline how the Modi Govt has systematically converted the Rail Ministry into a platform of 'Camera-driven' self-promotion!" he added. "Today's tragedy is yet another reminder of this stark reality. Make no mistake, we will remain persistent with our questions and shall make the Modi Govt accountable for its criminal abandonment of the Indian Railways," Kharge said in his X post.
Read Kharge's full post here
PM Modi and Union Railway Minister respond to tragedy
Separately, earlier in the day, PM Modi said in his X post that he has taken stock of the situation. "Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. Rescue operations are underway," the PM added. Meanwhile, the government has announced a compensation of ₹10 lakh to the kin of each deceased, ₹2.5 lakh to those grievously injured, and ₹50,000 in case of minor injuries.
Goods train overshot signal
According to reports, the goods train that hit the Kanchanjungha Express had overshot a signal, railway officials said. The goods train struck the rear part of the stationary Kanchanjungha Express. Two coaches of the express train derailed as a result. Notably, rescue operations are currently in progress at the site, with injured people being transported to nearby hospitals.
'Safety system missing on Bengal route'
Meanwhile, reports indicate that Kavach, the made-in-India system designed to prevent collisions between trains on the same track, was not installed on the Darjeeling tracks where the collision occurred. Currently, Kavach is implemented on over 1,500 km of railway tracks. The Centre had aimed to extend Kavach to 2,000 km of tracks during 2022-23 and plans to cover approximately 34,000 km in total. The Indian Railway network spans over 1 lakh kilometers.
