Expressing grief at the road accident which claimed at least 45 lives near Gumma area on Wednesday, the Congress party has strongly criticised Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and the State Government. The Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee chief spokesman Mathura Datt Joshi said that the Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leaders were in the region on the day of the accident but instead of visiting the site of the severe mishap, they attended a festive occasion. Meanwhile, acting on the directions of PCC chief Kishore Upadhyay, a delegation of the Congress party visited the site of the mishap on Thursday and also met the bereaved family members of those killed in the accident. leading the delegation of party leaders, the PCC vice president Jot Singh Bisht reached the site of the accident and along with the local Congress members, offered cooperation to the local residents and administration in the relief works. Bisht telephoned the PCC chief from the site and informed him about the ground situation. The Congress delegation attended the cremation of Sainj village resident Chandan Singh’s family members and also visited other bereaved families living in different villages of the region. The Congress leaders assured the bereaved kinfolk that the party stands with them in support and would facilitate all possible government assistance for them. According to information provided by the party, Bisht will arrive in Dehradun on April 21 and after that submit a detailed report on the accident to the PCC president Kishore Upadhyay. Meanwhile, the PCC chief spokesman said that the Congress demands that the Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat facilitate ex-gratia of Rs five lakh per fatality to the bereaved family.