Mamata expresses grief over Delhi stampede deaths, calls for better planning by Railways
Kolkata: Stressing on the need for better planning and management, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Sunday, called the deaths caused by New Delhi station stampede “deeply heartbreaking” while her party Trinamool Congress (TMC) accused the Centre of trying to cover up the tragedy and demanded the resignation of Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
Banerjee wrote on X: “The tragic loss of 18 lives in the Delhi stampede is deeply heartbreaking. This painful incident highlights the importance of careful planning and management, especially when it comes to the safety of citizens.”
Offering condolences to the bereaved families and praying for the swift recovery of the injured, she added: “Pilgrims on their way to the Maha Kumbh should have been met with proper support and facilities, not distress. It is essential to ensure that such journeys are safe and well-organised.”
Her statement assumes significance since she was twice a Railway minister. A political observer recalled that she was Railway minister when BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister. As the Railway minister, Banerjee was proactive in ensuring facilities for sub-urban passengers. She used to personally speak with local Railway authorities to iron out any creases and never viewed such matters through political lenses.
TMC Rajya Sabha deputy leader Sagarika Ghose wrote on X: “First Narendra Modi and his BJP deny any stampede. Then they call it a rumour. Then they admit a few people’ were injured. Then BJP is forced to accept that a few may have died.”
She claimed that the ‘minimum governance, maximum publicity’ mantra of the
Modi government was again exposed by the shocking New Delhi station stampede.
Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale demanded that Railway minister Vaishnaw should either resign or the PM should sack him for the “cover up”. He said the minister has “blood on his hands”. Pointing out this is the second Kumbh related stampede, he alleged that millions of people have been encouraged to rush to Prayagraj without making arrangements for logistics or their safety.
Union Minister of State (MoS) and Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumder drew flak for allegedly trying to shield the Railways and calling the tragedy an outcome of passengers’ fault. TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh termed the incident “unfortunate, condemnable and a result of gross mismanagement” by the Railways.
Meanwhile, Railway technology expert Partha Pratim Biswas said it is a precondition to assess the capacity of a Railway station before arranging for services. An estimated footfall for Kumbh Mela was projected beforehand. The tragedy allegedly points out towards a lapse in infrastructure and management. It is futile to now act after lives were lost. Tickets shouldn’t have been issued in the first place if there were an inadequate number of train services.
It was pointed out that the Railway Board has a designated member to oversee capacity management in trains and accordingly allot them in different routes.
Other experts opined that last minute platform change is always a bad decision, citing an example of the stampede in Puri during Rath Yatra where a platform crowd was seen running alongside the train, asking the occupants to pull the chain to halt it. The mishap was a result of lack of coordination. Experts said that beautification of stations alone won’t help if there are no measures to ensure the safety of passengers.
