Finance
A 10-member Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team has arrived in Odisha to interview with the personnel involved in the June 2 Balasore quadruple train accident at Bahanaga Bazar railway station.
According to sources, the team arrived in Balasore on Monday night, although the CBI has yet to issue a formal announcement in this regard.
“We haven’t registered a case in this matter as of now. We are examining the incident spot,” the source said.
“The CBI team is here to investigate the accident. They are doing their job. We cannot disclose any information about their investigation. They have a system of working. They will clear all evidence and details from the spot,” said Aditya Kumar Choudhury, chief public relation officer (CPRO), South Eastern Railway.
The Railway Board had on Sunday recommended for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the train accident.
“The way this accident happened, looking at the conditions, and according to the administrative information, the Railway Board is recommending the probe to the CBI,” Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had said on Sunday.
Vaishnaw has come under assault from opposition parties, who are calling for his resignation. The opposition has cited various investigations and audits that have identified railway breaches.
On Sunday, Railway Safety Commissioner Shailesh Kumar Pathak visited the accident site and took a few people’s statements.
Meanwhile, speaking to the media, Khurda Road Railway DRM Rinkesh Roy said, “The train accident occurred due to a change in electronic interlocking. But, after talking to the loco pilot and assistant loco pilot of Chennai-bound Coromandel Express, one of the trains involved in the accident, it was revealed that they received a green signal.”
He suspected that there could be “deliberate tampering” with the signaling system.
At least 275 people were killed and nearly 1,000 were injured after 21 coaches from two trains — Coromandel Express and SMVP-Howrah Superfast Express — and a cargo train collided and derailed on Friday evening near Bahanaga Bazar railway station in Odisha’s Balasore.
Source:IANS
