Explained: How Ashwini Vaishnaw-led railway team handled Odisha train accident
Indian Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw led a coordinated effort to save lives, provide medical assistance and restore railway tracks after a train accident in Odisha killed 275 people and injured over 1,100 people.
PremiumIn Odisha, the deadly train accident left a devastating impact on people. The challenge was staring in the face of the concerned department of Indian Railways and the first responders. Within a few hours, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was on the ground to review the tragic incident which took 275 lives and injured over 1,100 persons.
Definitely, there was a plan in place to ensure maximum utilization of human resources with a single focus on saving lives, providing medical assistance at the earliest, and restoration of railway tracks as soon as possible.
Speaking to ANI, a senior official said, “What is the next thing we need to do, and what is the next plan that is exactly how the minister works, this was no different."
“Eight teams were constituted with at least 70 members to work on the ground. Then each of these two teams was supervised by Senior Section Engineers (SSE). Further, these SSE were supervised by one DRM and one GM Railways. They were further supervised by a member of the Railway Board," he added.
The Chairman Railway Board was placed at the hospital in Cuttack, whereas DG Health was sent to the hospital in Bhubaneswar to ensure maximum relief for passengers who were being treated.
The official said instructions were very clear that rescue and relief operation is not the only important thing but the comfort of injured admitted in hospitals is equally significant, hence, senior officials were deployed to oversee the situation.
Meanwhile, the war room at the Railway Ministry headquarters in the national capital was constantly keeping a watch on the developments.
"Four cameras giving live feed of the developments on the ground at the train accident were constantly monitored by a very senior level officer and all details of progress were conveyed in real-time to the minister and his team," the source told ANI.
A seasoned bureaucrat turned politician, disaster management has not been a new thing for India's Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. In 1999, as a collector of the district of Balasore, Vaishnaw handled the super cyclone crisis.
One of the challenges on the ground was to ensure that there was no burnout. Hectic work and sultry weather were a challenge that was handled by ensuring that those working on the ground got enough breaks and rest before they got back on the job.
The team member coordinating with ground teams stated it was effectively ensured that every team worked on the ground was given timely breaks and they were kept well-hydrated. On Sunday night, when the up line was running and functional, it was only then that this team could heave a sigh of relief.
The emotions were running high as Ashwini Vaishnaw who remained on the ground for 51 long hours along with his entire team bowed his head down with folded hands in a prayer to the almighty.
(With ANI inputs)
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