BHUBANESWAR/BALASORE: Exactly three years ago on this day, the devastating Bahanaga train accident claimed 296 lives besides leaving a thousand other passengers injured.
Following the tragedy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Railway Minister Ashiwni Vaishnaw along with other national and state leaders visited the accident site and announced several development initiatives for the region.
However, many of the promises announced in its aftermath remain largely unfulfilled, leaving local residents and families of the victims disappointed.
The tragic accident occurred on the evening of June 2, 2023, when the Coromandel Superfast Express was wrongly diverted from the main line to a loop line at Bahanaga Bazar railway station in Balasore district, where it collided with a stationary freight train. The impact caused multiple coaches to derail and moments later, the derailed coaches collided with the Yesvantpur-Howrah Express, coming from the opposite end, leading to one of India’s worst rail disasters in recent history.
A string of development initiatives was announced for Bahanaga and surrounding areas after the mishap. Plans were made to develop Bahanaga into a model panchayat, upgrade Bahanaga High School into a nationally recognised educational institution, modernise the railway station and build a railway overbridge among others. However, most of these promises are yet to be fulfilled.
The proposed improvement of the road connecting Bahanaga market with the railway gate and the construction of a railway overbridge, estimated to cost `88 crore, have progressed at snail’s pace.
The proposal to upgrade the Bahanaga hospital and establish a trauma care centre had initially received significant attention from the government. A sum of Rs 2.24 crore was sanctioned for the project, including Rs 1 crore for the trauma care facility and land for the centre was also identified. However, the project remained stalled thereafter.
Bahanaga primary health centre in-charge, Dr Dhiresh Chandra Sarangi said existing regulations allow trauma care centres only when the distance between two hospitals exceeds 25 kilometre. “Since the distance between Bahanaga and Khantapada hospital, having a trauma care centre, is around 18 km, the proposal has been held up,” he added.
Similarly, the promises made for development of Bahanaga High School also remains largely on paper. Plans to transform the institution into a model educational centre, along with proposals for a mini stadium, swimming pool, library, museum, children’s park, bicycle stand, boundary wall and a new entrance gate, are yet to be implemented.
South Eastern Railway (SER) officials said the state PWD is executing the overbridge project. “Construction of a new ticket counter, platform elevation, provision of drinking water facilities and repairs to railway infrastructure on both the up and down routes have also been completed,” the SER officials said.
They further added that lighting of the Bahanaga market area has also been carried out at an expenditure of Rs 40 lakh from the MPLAD fund of the Railway minister. PWD officials couldn’t be reached for their comment.