Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Tuesday revised the death toll in the Balasore train crash to 288. Speaking to reporters, Chief Secretary PK Jena said, 275 deaths were confirmed till Monday, and after verification of bodies, the figure was raised to 288.
Jena said that 205 bodies of the the total 288 have been identified so far and handed over to their families. The remaining 83 bodies were kept at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar and other hospitals for identification, he said. "We have received many queries on the helpline numbers released by the government. We are optimistic that all bodies will be identified," Jena said. He said the state government was bearing the cost of treatment of the injured, and transportation of bodies to respective destinations.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik sanctioned Rs 1.95 crore for ex-gratia payment to the families of 39 deceased persons from Odisha. According to the government, Rs 5 lakh will be given to the kin of each deceased persons as ex-gratia. The money was being provided from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund (CMRF).
Besides these, Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) will open dedicated helpdesks at some railway stations in West Bengal from Wednesday to offer assistance to family members of those who lost their lives in the Balasore train accident for claim settlement. LIC Zonal Manager (East) Ajay Kumar said dedicated helpdesks at various railway stations, such as Howrah, Shalimar, Kharagpur and Medinipur, will be operational to offer spot assistance in addition to services from branches.
"I am waiting for the list of the deceased from the railways so that we can contact their family members and deploy our resources for identification to settle claims. It will be an extended help to the family in this hour of crisis," Kumar told PTI. The life insurer had said it would expedite claim settlements to provide financial relief for the victims of the triple train accident in Odisha's Balasore on June 2.
As many as 288 people were killed and more than 1,100 passengers were injured in the train crash. More such helpdesks are expected to be operational wherever it will be required, the LIC official said. Several other insurance companies have also announced their support for the affected families with simplification in the claim process and dedicated helplines.
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India has also asked all insurance companies to take measures in this regard in all possible ways. Liberty General Insurance, which provides personal accident insurance coverage to IRCTC train passengers, launched a dedicated 24/7 helpline for its policyholders impacted by the tragedy.
Aegon Life, a digital insurer, also announced its support for the families devastated by the train crash and simplified the claim process. Apart from registered death certificates, lists of casualties published by the railway authorities, police or any state or central government authorities will be accepted as proof of death by the insurance companies. (With Agency Inputs)
