Balasore: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reached the train accident site in Odisha's Balasore and assured all help on Saturday. However, She didn't mince words in criticising the railways for the tragedy. The train accident took place on Friday evening some distance from Balasore station in Odisha.
The toll has crossed 250, according to an official report while the number of injured is close to 1,000. The Chief Minister tweeted on Friday night expressing grief and concern. After that, she soon left for Balasore on Saturday morning. The Chief Minister reached the spot in time to examine the situation. She spoke to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav. The Chief Minister said that the West Bengal government is ready to help in every possible way.
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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee assured that the state government will also arrange for the treatment and travel of those whose homes are in West Bengal. Similarly, the Chief Minister said that the train mishap victims from West Bengal will be given financial assistance of Rs 5 lakhs. She assured the help of Rs 1 lakh to the seriously injured and Rs 50,000 to those who suffered minor injuries. However, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee fired a salvo at the railways from the accident site. According to her, now the Ministry of Railways is being neglected by the Central government.
"A lack of coordination has developed between the railways," she said while bringing up the example of not preparing a separate budget for railways. The Chief Minister also visited the injured from the spot and spoke to them in the local town hall. She also assured help to bring back the injured, who are residents of West Bengal. Later, the Chief Minister went to Soro Hospital and spoke to the patients.
