CUTTACK: A portion of the roof of platform no-1 at Cuttack railway station caved in on Wednesday afternoon triggering panic among passengers and railway staff. The incident occurred during the ongoing renovation work of the station.
Sources said the mishap occurred barely minutes after a Vande Bharat Express passed on the track nearby. A portion of the wall of gate no-2 which had reportedly weakened in the rain, caved in and fell on the shed of platform no-1 resulting in its collapse. The debris of the collapsed portion of the wall and platform fell on the tracks, disrupting train movement on platform no-1 and 2. However, no one was hurt in the incident.
Eyewitnesses narrated hearing a sudden loud crash followed by a cloud of dust and falling metal sheets from the collapsed section of the platform roof. Train movement through the station was immediately halted and restoration works initiated.
The East Coast Railway (ECoR) in an official statement said, redevelopment works at the Cuttack railway station were being carried out with adequate precautions.
"Unfortunately, at 3.45 pm, an old wall collapsed on the platform, temporarily hampering train movement on platform nos-1 and 2. No injury or casualty has been reported. Restoration work was undertaken on a war-footing and train movement has commenced since evening," it said.
The incident has, meanwhile, raised concerns over safety protocols being followed during the station redevelopment work. “Luckily, people’s lives were saved. The agency carrying out the redevelopment work should take adequate precaution as the platforms are located in close proximity to the demolition site. A third party probe can only find the lapses,” said Barabati-Cuttack MLA Sofia Firdous after visiting the mishap site.
The BJD also demanded a high-level probe into the incident. Party’s media coordinator Priyabrata Majhi alleged that the under-construction roof collapsed due to the negligence of railway officials and the contractor. Cuttack-Choudwar MLA Souvic Biswal, Cuttack mayor Subash Singh and district BJD president Prafulla Singh visited the site.
Biswal said an investigation must be conducted into the incident and strict action taken against the responsible persons.