Bhubaneswar, June 5 (FN?Representative) Commissioner of Railway Safety (South Eastern Circle) Sailesh Pathak on Monday conducted statutory inquiry into the Odisha train tragedy that claimed 275 lives and injured over 1000 people. Pathak reached Bahanaga Bazar station and visited the control room, signal room and the accident site. He said the Commission is conducting an independent inquiry. A preliminary inquiry is on and a clear picture will emerge only after it is over.
In an appeal, the Commission said rail users, local public and other bodies may depose before the Commission on any information related to the accident. On Sunday Railway Minister Ashiwini Vaishnaw at a press conference here announced a CBI probe into the accident. The Railway Board has recommended that the case be handed over to CBI for further investigation, he said. The CBI inquiry into the incident was recommended after a preliminary inquiry pointed out interference with the electronic interlocking system, Vaishnaw said. Meanwhile, a goods train of a private cement company derailed early Monday in Bargarh.
The railways clarified that all infrastructure, including engine, wagons and train track are being maintained by the private company and the railways had no role in it. The derailment, it said, is not at all connected with the Indian Railway system. Train services have resumed since Sunday night as the restoration work was completed almost 51 hours after the devastating accident involving three trains at Bahanaga station on Friday evening.