Expressing grief over the death of around 115 people following derailment of Patna-Indore Express near Kanpur on Sunday morning Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said the Government has extended all possible help to the people who were in distress and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the family members of those who died in the accident.
“It is the responsibility of the State Government to extend help to the people at the time of exigency because hospitals, police and local transport come under state government. We did not wait for any one and put all the available resources at work so that people could get relief,” Yadav told reporters on Sunday.
He said that police cordoned off the area so that relief and rescue operation could be carried out peacefully. I even asked my ministers to go there and supervise the relief work. “To ensure injured reach hospitals at the earliest a green corridor was provided to them. All private nursing homes and private hospitals were also asked to stand at alert and admit injured persons free of cost,” he said.
As the news about accident broke out 48 ambulances and a dozen relief vans were rushed to the site. Minor injured were given treatment at the site itself. Besides 98 state road ways buses were put on alert to shift passengers from the accident site to Kanpur from where they were sent to their destination.
When asked whether railway Minister should owe responsibility of the accident and resign Yadav said: “This is not the time to do politics. The parliament is in session. Questions would be raised inside the House. The priority was to save precious lives,” he said.
“I spoke to Railway Minister and have assured that our government will provide whatever help is needed in the rescue operations,” he said.