Bhubaneswar, July 1: Odisha Congress on Saturday demanded resignation of Railway Minister Ashiwini Vaishnaw holding him responsible for the June 2 Bahanaga train tragedy.
As many as 293 people died and over one thousand injured in the horrific railway accident at Bahanaga bazar road station in Odisha’s Balasore district involving three trains.
Congress Spokesperson Sudarshan Das said the Commissioners of Railway Safety inquiring into the accident in its report submitted to the government has stated that the accident occurred due to mechanical/ technical and system failure and not due to any conspiracy.
The Congress leader said though the Commission had already submitted its report on June 28 but it has not yet been made public.
The Railway Minister,he alleged, is trying to suppress the report to evade accountability and demanded the government to make the report public.
The Congress leader said at present the Railway infrastructure is in a very poor condition.
Over 2.70 lakh posts in the Railway department are lying vacant and railway tracks are not being maintained. There is a huge shortage of station Masters, signal employees and security staff.
Railway accidents, Das said, are occurring as the staff are forced to work for longer period and remain under stress.
He said four more accidents occurred in the last one month after the Bahanaga Railway accident.This implies that the Railway Minister is himself responsible for the accidents and he should step down.
