New Delhi: Arrangements have been made at the Railways dedicated helpline number 139 to facilitate family and relatives of deceased persons and passengers stranded in the tragic train accident in Odisha. Ministry of Railways in a release Sunday said a team of senior officers is manning the helpline round the clock and will provide all the relevant details to the callers.
"The aim of the Railway Helpline 139 is to provide a helping hand and to give correct and satisfactory information to the aggrieved passengers and their kins in this trying time," the release said. This helpine is also intended to ensure prompt disbursal of ex-gratia announced - Rs 10 Lakh in case of death; Rs 2 Lakh towards grievous injuries and Rs 50,000 for minor injuries.
So far, the Railways have disbursed Rs 3.22 crore as ex-gratia in 285 cases (11 death cases, 50 grievous injuries cases, 224 simple injury cases).
Indian Railways is paying ex-gratia amount at seven locations (Soro, Kharagpur, Balasore, Khantapara, Bhadrak, Cuttack, and Bhubaneswar).
Meanwhile, as per the official figures, the accident on Friday night left 275 people dead and over 1000 injured.
The accident involved Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Coromandel Express and the goods train on three separate tracks at Bahanaga Bazar Station in the Balasore district. As many as 17 coaches of these two passenger trains were derailed and severely damaged in the deadly accident.
The restoration work is underway at the site for the regular movement of trains on the route. (ANI)
