A senior railway official on Sunday said a preliminary probe has found maintenance work was being done on the tracks where multiple coaches of the Utkal Express derailed on Saturday
A mangled coach of Utkal Express train being hauled off the tracks, at the accident site in Khatauli near Muzaffarnagar on Sunday. Pics/PTI
A senior railway official on Sunday said a preliminary probe has found maintenance work was being done on the tracks where multiple coaches of the Utkal Express derailed on Saturday.
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"That might have cause the derailment," said Mohd Jamshed, member (traffic), Railway Board, adding that maintenance tools were found on the tracks.
The NDRF rescue team at the accident site on Saturday
"When we did a site inspection, we saw some equipment of the railways used for track repair present there."
Jamshed assured that strict action would be taken against those found guilty prima facie in the derailment, adding that investigation would be done to see if any guidelines were not followed.
"Each and every clue will be preserved for the investigation. The commissioner will see whose responsibility it was to handle the matter and why did this happen. In the inquiry, it will also be ascertained what kind of work was underway on the tracks at that time. The audio clips we received through the media seem to be of a conversation between a railway worker and media person, where it's been told that some work is going on the tracks, which led to negligence. We will have to check the audio's authenticity as well."
He added that traffic on the line would be restored around 10 pm (Sunday) and an initial report submitted to the ministry by evening, after which the Commissioner of Railway Safety, Northern Circle, would begin the inquiry from Monday.
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