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Two incidents of derailment in less than four days in UP trigger fear among passengers

At Least 100 Passengers Were Injured As 10 Bogies Of The Train Went Off The Rails After Dashing Against A Dumper Carrying Construction Material For Railway Work.

PTI | Updated on: 24 Aug 2017, 02:46:00 PM
Two incidents of derailments in less than four days in UP trigger fear among passengers. (File Photo)

New Delhi:

Two incidents of derailments in a span of fewer than four days in Uttar Pradesh have incited a sense of distress among train passengers.

"Everyone fears for his life. The government should take some corrective measures to ensure that we reach our destinations safely," said Tarun Kumar, a passenger waiting for the train at the New Delhi railway station.

After Kaifiyat Express derailment in Uttar Pradesh, many trains were either canceled or diverted.

At least 100 passengers were injured as 10 bogies of the train went off the rails after dashing against a dumper carrying construction material for railway work.

"Our fate lies in the hands of God when we are traveling by train," said Kumar, who was on his way back from the cave shrine of Vaishno Devi in Jammu.

However, some passengers felt it was pointless living under fear because of rail accidents.

"We cannot do away with train journeys simply because of derailments. Haven't you heard of plane crashes?" asked a middle-aged man waiting for a train for Mathura.

The passenger believed the government was taking "stern action" against guilty officials. "The Utkal Express accident was not a deliberate act," he said.

Also Read: Railway Board Chairman AK Mittal resigns after Utkal and Kaifiyat train mishaps in UP

On August 19, in one of the deadliest train accidents in recent times, 22 people were killed and over 150 injured, 26 of them grievously, after 13 coaches of the train jumped the rails, with one of them crashing into a house adjacent to the tracks near Khatauli, Uttar Pradesh.

Mohit Kumar, a second-year BA student from Ghaziabad, who was onboard the Bareilly-bound Rohtak Express, admitted that there was a sense of fear in the aftermath of the twin derailments.

"It is good to think of bullet trains of international standards, but there should be more focus on ordinary trains," he said, in a reference to an ambitious project of the government. There have been several derailments in Uttar Pradesh of late.

On November 20, 2016, over 100 passengers were killed and more than 200 injured when 14 coaches of the Indore-PatnaExpress derailed near Pukhrayan in Kanpur Dehat district.

A little over a month later, on December 28, at least 62 passengers were injured when 15 coaches of the Sealdah-AjmerExpress derailed while crossing a bridge near the Rurarailway station in the same district.

In the aftermath of the derailments, the railways got much-needed funds to upgrade safety measures with the budget this year proposing an outlay of Rs 1 lakh crore for the purpose. 

Also Read: Train mishaps in UP continue, Kaifiyat Express derails 3 days after Utkal Express tragedy, 74 injured, 4 critical

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First Published : 24 Aug 2017, 02:46:00 PM

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