Tamil Nadu Express fire: Mukul Roy orders inquiry

New Delhi: Railway Minister Mukul Roy on Monday ordered an inquiry into the Tamil Nadu Express fire mishap and announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs five lakh each for the next of the kin of those killed in the incident that left nearly 30 people dead.

He also announced a payment of Rs one lakh each for those who were grievously injured and Rs 25,000 for those who suffered simple injuries.

The inquiry by DK Singh, Commissioner of Railway Safety of South-Central Circle, will look into the cause of the mishap near Nellore in Andhra Pradesh.

A major fire broke out in one of the bogies of New Delhi-Chennai Tamil Nadu Express near Nellore in Andhra Pradesh on Monday morning.

Railway Ministry spokesperson Anil Saxena said relief has been despatched through the accident relief medical train from Bitragunda station.

Fire brigade from Nellore reached the site and extinguished the fire, he said, adding Railway Board Chairman Vinay Mittal along with senior officials have rushed to the accident site.

A special train has been arranged for carrying relatives of affected passengers from Chennai to Nellore. Saxena said Railways has instructed General Managers of all zones to exercise extra vigil and launch a special safety drive regarding precautions to be taken to avoid recurrence of such accidents.

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