12 Kolkata: “Is this governance?” CM Mamata Banerjee said angrily on Tuesday in reaction to the derailment of the Howrah-CSMT Mumbai Mail that left two people dead. In a statement on X, she said: “This series of nightmares almost every week, this unending procession of deaths and injuries on railway tracks: for how long shall we tolerate this? Will there be no end to the callousness of the Government of India?”
“My heart goes out to the bereaved families, condolences to the next of kin,” Banerjee added.Bengal govt rushed senior officials to Jharkhand and state police opened helplines to assist the families of those affected. Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose said: “How many more train accidents will it take for Modi govt to wake up from its slumber. We have a part-time rail minister as he is busy with BJP’s election management for the poll bound states.”
“Modi govt continues to evade accountability and railway safety while accidents are regular,” she wrote on X, adding that Centre was too busy flagging off new trains for photo ops instead of putting proper safety measures in place. “It is shameful and scandalous,” Ghose added.
Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev said while PM Narendra Modi spoke of ‘Viksit Bharat’, people were dying in frequent train accidents. Questioning why innocent railway passengers were losing their lives, the MP pointed out that while the number of train accidents had gone up over the past 10 years, NDA govt had scrapped the debate on the railway budget. She asked who would be held accountable for the lapse in railway security. Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Trinamool’s leader in Lok Sabha, demanded in Parliament that the railway minister submit a report on accidents and steps taken for passenger safety. Trinamool Congress posted on X: “Railways accidents have become an all-too-common affair! How many more deaths does the BJP wish upon this country before they start ensuring the safety of the passengers.”
Kunal Ghosh, former RS MP, said that the series of accidents had turned train journeys into a nightmare. “Our CM is keeping close tabs on the matter. There is a delay in relief and rescue and Bengal govt is trying to provide all support to those injured or killed and to their families,” he said. “Why are accidents so frequent? It is time to ponder over this. The railway minister is oblivious to safety and only makes bogus statements,” Ghosh added.