Jharkhand train accident: CM Mamata Banerjee attacks Centre over 'mismanagement'

Kolkata, July 30 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack against the Centre following the derailment of the Howrah-Mumbai CSMT Mail accident in Jharkhand on Tuesday in which two persons were killed and over 50 injured.

“Another disastrous rail accident! Howrah- Mumbai mail derails in Chakradharpur division in Jharkhand today early morning, multiple deaths and huge number of injuries are the tragic consequences," the Chief Minister posted on X.

Questioning the governance in the Railways administration, the Chief Minister said that a series of nightmares every week, an unending procession of deaths and injuries on the railway tracks have become a regular feature.

“For how long shall we tolerate this? Will there be no end to the callousness of Government of India?! My heart goes out to the bereaved families, condolences to the next of kin,” the Chief Minister further said in the post.

The Chief Minister had been critical of the alleged negligence on the part of the railway authorities in installing the safety devices on the tracks that could have averted the accidents.

She has been constantly claiming that the safety devices installation process that was initiated during her tenure as the Railways Minister was not followed up at a later stage by successive ministries.

The Chief Minister had been especially critical about the non-implementation of Kavach, the automatic train protection system, in all the tracks that could have averted many accidents.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Police on Tuesday announced 13 helpline numbers at three GRPs in the state following the derailment of the Howrah-Mumbai CSMT Mail in Jharkhand, in which two persons have died and many were injured. Of the 13 helpline numbers, five are at Howrah and Sealdah GRPs each, while three are at Kharagpur GRP.