RailEnquiry

The Railways on Tuesday blamed the Bihar government for the train disaster at Dhamara Ghat in Khagaria district and claimed that only 28 persons died in the accident, not 37 as put out by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar; it said nine others were injured.

“Probably he (Nitish Kumar) mixed up the figures of death and injured to say that 37 persons died in the mishap at Dhamara Ghat in between Saharsa and Mansi section of Samastipur division,” Minister of State for Railways Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told reporters at Patna airport.

Asked who was to blame for the Rajyarani Express mowing down the pilgrims, the minister put the blame on the state administration.

Lack of coordination

“The local administration did not alert the Railways about the large congregation of pilgrims for the mela (fair) at the Katayani temple so that we could have taken some measures,” Chaudhury said.

“There was no proper coordination by the local administration with the Railways for making the necessary arrangement,” he said.

The Bihar CM had yesterday dismissed any lapse on the part of the state administration.PTI