Agra Led by the Chief Safety Officer, a team of senior officials arrived here on Thursday to conduct a probe in the fire that burnt two bogies of the Patalkot Express running between Agra and Gwalior on Wednesday afternoon. The team reached Jajau railway station where the four bogies detached from the Patalkot Express are stationed. The forensic team has already taken samples from the bogies.
Agra zone divisional railway manager Tej Prakash Agarwal had on Wednesday promised a high-level probe into the incident. So, the team from the headquarters of North Central Railways in Prayagraj reached Agra on Thursday, informed Prashasti Srivastava, spokesperson for Agra Zone of North Central Railways.
“It is too early to assign any specific reason to the fire and according to norms prescribed by the Railway Board, the team conducting the probe has a month to submit its report,” informed Srivastava.
On Wednesday, the team from the forensic lab in Agra had collected samples of half-burnt belongings lying in the burnt bogies of Patalkot Express. The passengers had also narrated the ordeal they faced. Most of them were unaware about reasons for the fire and could not offer any clue.
The rail traffic was badly affected in the latter half of Wednesday and many trains were left stranded at various locations on this track between Agra and Gwalior which forms part of Agra- Mumbai track.
{{/usCountry}}The rail traffic was badly affected in the latter half of Wednesday and many trains were left stranded at various locations on this track between Agra and Gwalior which forms part of Agra- Mumbai track.
{{/usCountry}}The Patalkot Express, minus four bogies detached, moved for Gwalior at about 7.30 pm on Wednesday and it took hours to normalise the traffic.
Ex- gratia of ₹50,000
Prashasti Srivastava informed that ex gratia relief of Rs. 50,000 had been paid to each of the 10 passengers certified as injured by the railway authorities. They included seven admitted to the emergency ward of SN Medical College and Hospital.
“Fortunately there were no serious injuries and those admitted have been discharged after required treatment. Some had shifted to other health facilities of their choice,” she said.
Hero of the day
Head TTE from Mathura Shahid Ansari stole many hearts because of his valiant effort when he rushed to the burnt general coaches with fire extinguishers available at the time.
“Shahid Ansari also helped in evacuating passengers from burning general bogies. The DRM Agra Zone has applauded his initiative and also of vigilant Gateman Dharmendra who communicated the message about fire once he noticed smoke from one of the bogies of Patalkot Express,” said Prashasti who assured that the Railways would acknowledge these acts by the staff.
Shahid Ansari, 42, is a hockey player and got a job in railways through sports quota.