Kalka derailment: Railway minister calls for compensation

West Bengal's Minister of State for Railways Mukul Roy on Sunday asked the Railway Board to give compensation of Rs5 lakh and Rs1 lakh to families of those killed and injured in the Howrah-Kalka Express derailment in Uttar Pradesh.

“I urged the Railway Board to give compensation of Rs5 lakh and Rs1 lakh respectively to families of persons who were killed and injured,” Roy said here.

At least 20 people were killed and more than 100 injured when 14 coaches of the Howrah-Kalka Express derailed in Fatehpur district of Uttar Pradesh Sunday noon.

The train, carrying about 1,000 passengers, was bound for Kalka and was travelling at 108 km an hour when it went off the rails at Malwa station in Fatehpur, about 150 km from Lucknow.

“I contacted the chairman of Railway Board and higher officials just after receiving the news of the incident. They have been asked to ensure that special relief trains reach the place of the incident,” he said.

The Indian Railways has set up special helplines to make available information about the accident. The numbers are: Delhi - 011-23342954, 011-23341074, Khurja - 05738-253084-85, Aligarh - 0571-2403055/56, Fathehpur - 5180-222025/26/36.