BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the latest situation of the train mishap at Bahanaga in Balasore district particularly on the treatment of the accident victims.
The Chief Minister assured that all possible steps are being taken to save the lives of injured passengers in different hospitals in Odisha. "The doctors, medical students are doing their best they can to save lives", he said.
Stating that the Odisha government follows a policy that underlines ‘every life is precious’, CM said that the state government is leaving no stones unturned to save lives. The officials are relentlessly working for the rescue operation, shifting injured passengers to the hospitals and making arrangements for their treatment.
Giving details about the latest situation, the CM said that as many as 1175 injured passengers have been admitted to different hospitals, out of which 793 have been discharged. Most of the injured patients are in stable condition, he said and added that 382 passengers are now undergoing treatment in various government and private hospitals.
The PM thanked the CM and Odisha government for their prompt action during the crisis. He also praised the people of Odisha for their timely support. "The Centre is ready to provide any kind of assistance if required", said the PM.
The CM also announced ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the kin of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh for seriously injured passengers. The assistance will be given from Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF). This ex-gratia assistance is applicable to the victims of Odisha only.
The CM has also conveyed his deep sympathy to the bereaved families and wished speedy recovery of the injured. In view of the disruption of normal train service to Kolkata and keeping in view the greater benefit of the commuters, the CM has also announced free bus service to Kolkata from Puri, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack from Sunday.
The entire cost will be met by CMRF. This arrangement will continue till the restoration of normal train service in Balasore route. Around 50 buses provide transport service to Kolkata daily from the above three cities of Odisha.