M A I N   N E W S

Is the train jinxed?

NEW DELHI, Dec 2 (UNI) — The Amritsar-bound Howrah-Amritsar Mail, which rammed into derailed wagons of goods train between the Rajpura and Sirhind railway stations near Patiala today, killing more than 35 persons and leaving 115 injured, had met with a similar accident only five months ago.

Two persons had been killed when the 3005 Up Howrah-Amritsar collided with a stationary vacant coach of the Ambala-Saharanpur train near Ambala on June 30.

At that time, the engine of the 3005, Up train was badly smashed and those killed included the driver and his assistant. Four coaches of the passenger train were also derailed.

The Ambala-Saharanpur train, after washing, was ready to move from the outer area when power failed. The driver then went to fetch a diesel engine. In the meantime, the Amritsar-Howrah train arrived as a high speed and crashed into the stationary coach.

Inquiry centre set up
Tribune News Service

PATIALA, Dec 2 — The main inquiry centre for information about the Jeewanpur train accident victims has been established at the CIA Staff Headquarters at Sirhind.

Divisional Deputy Inspector-General of Police Sanjeev Gupta said the number of the Inquiry Centre was 01763 - 21053. The centre would give information on the injured who had been shifted to various hospitals in Rajpura, Sirhind, Patiala and Chandigarh.

Patiala Deputy Commissioner Jasbir Singh Bir said information about those killed in the accident could be collected on the telephone number 0175-302772. All dead bodies had been shifted to Government Medical College here.

Besides, any information about those injured could be acquired on telephone number 0175 - 214971, which was the number of the Emergency Department of Government Rajindra Hospital here, and at 01762-24100 at Rajpura, which was the number of APG hospital.

Sidelights

BOTH the victims of the train accident and the rescuers were sore with Railway officials for taking a long time to reach the accident spot. Those on the spot said officers of the Railways arrived nearly two-and-a-half hours after the incident. Additional Divisional Railway Manager A.K. Kapoor when asked about this said they got late as he along with other officers had to come from Ambala and take a detour to Chandigarh due to a traffic jam on the Grand Trunk road.

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Volunteers of the Saffron Brigade and Congress Sewa Dal rose to the occasion with the Akalis not making any organised voluntary activity at the incident site. BJP units besides conducting relief activity at the site of incident also got medicines arranged for the injured from various chemist shops in Sirhind. Former legislator from Sirhind used presence of mind to call for Congress Sewa Dal workers who had come there for a training camp , all of whom participated in the voluntary work on the occasion.

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Villagers extricated all the belongings of the passengers and placed them in orderly files on one side. The luggage kept piling up with volunteers keeping an eye on it much before police personnel arrived at the spot to guard it. The accident victims, most of whom belonged to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, said no valuables had been stolen in the aftermath of the accident.