5 lakh ex-gratia for Guj train mishap victims

New Delhi, Mar 3: Railway Minister Lalu Prasad today announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh each to next of kin of 16 people who were run over by a train on February 27 in Gujarat. In a statement in the Lok Sabha, the Minister said driver A K Sharma and assistant driver Arun Kumar of 9031 Bhuj-Kutch Express have been suspended for not informing the accident to station next to the mishap site.

All 16 victims, including three children and two women, were killed on the spot when they were run over by the speeding train while walking on a rail bridge between Udhana and Surat after alighting from the train at Udhana.

The Minister said though prima facie railway administration was not responsible for the accident, as the bridge was not meant for pedestrians, yet a three-member team of senior railway offficers has been tasked to probe into the mishap and submit its findings to the Ministry within two weeks.

UNI