Khantuli: While 175 passengers on board the Utkal Express were stated to be injured in Saturday’s derailment, officials identified five passengers from Orissa who are being treated in various hospitals. The officials denied that any one from the state had died.
An array of reasons are associated with the close shave for the survivors from Orissa. According to railway officials, several factors relating to the train helped save lives of Oriyas. “This being a non-festive season there were not many passengers from Orissa to Haridwar. The train is chosen by people from Orissa only to travel up to Haridwar and not beyond,” chief public relations officer (CPRO) from the East Coast Railway (EcoR) JP Mishra told Orissa POST.
The senior railway official also said people travel in Nilanchal Express or Purushottam Express which takes less time than the Utkal Express on the same route. Also, it is believed that the train is often chosen by passengers from central India to go to the northern areas and is not a sought-after train by passengers from Orissa. As per data available with the EcoR, most passengers who booked their tickets from Puri (around 86) did not belong to Orissa and were pilgrims from other places.
As per the list accessed by this newspaper from six hospitals near the accident site, five passengers from Orissa are being treated whereas most of the injured belonged to Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The injured were from Morena, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Gwalior and New Delhi.
Officials from Chief Residence Commissioner met the five injured under treatment at various hospitals and handed them over `5000 to each person to meet their medical needs. The officials camping in Muzaffarnagar will help bring them back to Orissa, source said.
Manish Kumar, OP
