Mamata Banerjee Criticizes Railways in Wake of Kanchanjunga Express Tragedy

In the wake of the train accident in the Darjeeling district, Mamata Banerjee launched a broadside at the Narendra Modi government on Monday, claiming that the BJP administration was more concerned with vanity railway projects than with the security of its constituents.

"I have no idea what's going on in this nation. There is such a problem if the administration is acting so carelessly. The entire train department is experiencing the callousness of the (Union) government, stated the chief minister of Bengal, a former seven-term MP who served as railway minister on several occasions under the NDA and UPA II governments led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

"There's no distinct funding for railroads. There is still a rail ministry. However, the madhurjyo (grace, charm, or loveliness) of the trains in the past has been destroyed. "The railways have completely lost their parental figure," she continued as she boarded a flight to north Bengal in the afternoon from the Calcutta airport, having managed rescue, relief, and restoration efforts via remote access since 9 a.m.

The railroads are currently only visible at the inauguration. So many topics to discuss, so much said—word beautifying, as if it were a fad. However, they merely hike fares and neglect to provide for passenger facilities.

The head of the Trinamool Congress charged that electoral cheating was the saffron regime's top priority.

"This government is cautious in how many steps it takes in relation to the elections. How to use election rigging, manipulation, and hacking. Where will this nation go? "Is it not a jest?" she questioned.

Mamata continued, "I think they should give more time for governance, not for utterance." These days, people have to choose motorcycles or cycles over railroads. What is the current state of the railroads?

Mamata further criticized the Centre for allegedly delaying the effective installation of the anti-collision system, which might lessen the impact of such incidents, and demanded answers for the limited air connectivity for Calcutta and north Bengal.

"Repeated accidents... I had left the one that happened in June of last year near Puri (Bahanaga)." "They'll probably cremate them all at once because there are still so many unclaimed and unidentified bodies," she said, alluding to the crash that had left over 1,200 people injured and almost 300 people dead.

Accidents may occur at any time. It is a fact that no one can control an accident. However, it is also true that I had the anti-collision gadget ready when I needed it. Everything from the Metro trains to Vande Bharat is being imitated from my era. No facilities, no security, growing prices," the prime minister continued. This location is a dark spot. This was not far from the scene of the 1999 Gaisal tragedy. Today, things could have turned very much worse.

She went into great detail about some of the major infrastructure advancements or upgrades that had occurred during her time leading the Rail Bhavan, including the modernization of the signalling system, the installation of anti-collision devices (ACDs), and the conversion of hundreds of unmanned crossings across India into manned level crossings.

During my time, we implemented the use of ACDs and updated the telecom system. Later on in the day, outside the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) in Siliguri, the Trinamool chief stated, "In fact, I had personally gone to Madgaon and met Konkan Railway officials, where trials for these ACDs were held."

"All of these railway improvements are the result of the efforts of past governments and myself... They want to address things differently—that's their problem, she continued. "Saving the people should come first, then lofty claims. Nothing that has been inaugurated today is new; it was all planned out in my Vision 2020 for the railways, for which I had set aside money.

She had stated clearly in Calcutta that she would not be coming to the location, which was close to the New Jalpaiguri station, because the government had already carried out the essential rescue, relief, and restoration efforts under her direction and supervision. At that point, Ashwini Vaishnaw, the minister of railways, had already visited the Rangapani accident scene.

Vaishnaw reported that he had met all the relevant parties and was impressed by how they had united to provide a speedy rescue and restoration. "All data points and data logs are being analyzed as part of the ongoing inquiries. Our first concern right now is getting everything back to normal as soon as possible," he stated.

"This is not the time for politics," he stated in response to Mamata's accusations.

"Rescue and restoration should now be the main priorities. The safety of passengers is a top priority and receives total attention. The minister of railroads continued, "I will go into more detail about this later.