Khanna Railway Accident

Date: 
Sunday, December 3, 2000

Press Statement

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) expresses its deep shock at the railway accident which occurred near Sarai Banjara in Punjab. The collision involving the Howrah-Amritsar mail has led to death of 40 persons and over 130 have been injured. The Polit Bureau conveys its heartfelt condolences to all those families who have lost their relatives in the accident.

This gruesome accident is a repetition of the Khanna tragedy two years ago. The derailment of bogies falling across the parallel tracks were the cause for both the accidents. The fact that the enquiry committee's recommendations after the Khanna accident were not implemented and there have been 253 railway accidents this year points to the enormity of the negligence and callousness of the railway ministry. The Union railway minister, Mamata Banerjee does not have time for attending to the elementary duties as a railway minister as she is constantly busy in instigating violence against the Left Front government of West Bengal.

In no other country will such shameless behaviour by the union railway minister and the railway authorities be tolerated. The railway ministry must come out with full facts about why repeated safety recommendations have been ignored. The officials responsible for this recent accident must be proceeded against. The Polit Bureau demands that the question of railway safety measures be taken up as the urgent and topmost priority by the Vajpayee government.