Mamata Banerjee to visit Odisha train accident site
Kolkata (IANS) | West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will visit the accident site in Odisha’s Balasore district on Saturday to take stock of the situation. She will leave for Balasore in a special helicopter, which will take off from a helipad at Dumurjala in Howrah district. Sources in the state government said since the Coromandel Express had left from Shalimar station in Shibpur area of Howrah on Friday evening, there is speculation that some of the victims may be from Bengal.
Therefore, the Chief Minister has decided to personally visit the spot to review the situation.
On Banerjee’s instructions, a 12-member medical team along with 25 ambulances and two hearses have already reached the accident site to assist in relief and rescue operations.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly Shubhendu Adhikari is also making arrangements to send some ambulances to the accident site.
State BJP president and party’s Lok Sabha member Sukanta Majumdar has already reached the accident site.
Earlier, a six-member delegation from West Bengal, led by state minister Manas Ranjan Bhunia and party MP Dola Sen, reached the accident site late on Friday night.
According to Sen, the state governments of both West Bengal and Odisha are jointly carrying out rescue operations.
He said, the West Bengal team has started working on how to help in the relief and rescue operations.
–IANS
