INDIA THIS WEEK FRIDAY JUNE 9, 2023 1 A W e e k l y N e w s p a p e r Fe a t u r i n g N e w s & Tr e n d s f r o m t h e I n d i a n S u b - C o n t i n e n t P u b l i s h e d f r o m t h e U S C a p i t a l Website: www.indiathisweek.online Vol. 31 No 23 • WASHINGTON D.C • Phone: 301-445-0200; 301-917-4800 • e-mail: indiathisweekads@gmail.com • Friday • June 9, 2023 Coromandel Express collides with goods train in Odisha’s Balasore; 288 dead injured, 1000 injured At least 288 people were dead and 1000 people were injured after Coromandel Express derailed near Bahanaga station in Odisha’s Balasore on Friday. The injured have been shifted to Soro CHC, Gopalpur CHC, and Khantapada PHC, said Chief Secretary, Odisha. Confirming the sharp upward spiral in the death toll, the chief secretary said, According to the officials 3 NDRF, 4 ODRAF and 22 Fire Services personnel have been deployed for the rescue operations at the accident spot. Earlier, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday took stock of the situation and reviewed the rescue operations at Control Room, SRC, Bhubaneswar. The CM ordered the provision of free medical treatment to all the injured victims in the BSKY facility hospitals and other private hospitals. Cost of medical expenses shall be borne by the state, he added. Collectors, SP and officers of the district administrations of Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur and Kendujhar have also been asked to supervise the rescue operation. Meanwhile, the Odisha government declared a day of mourning on Saturday in the wake of the train derailment. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik declared a day’s mourning Wa s h i n g t o n [US], June 5 (ANI): US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin concluded his India visit on Monday with both countries taking new steps to strengthen their defence partnership. The importance of defence innovation remained one of many keynote points of discussions during Austin’s visit here, the US Department of Defence said During his meetings with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the US Secretary and his counterparts exchanged perspectives on a range of regional security issues and committed to collaborating closely with India in support of the US shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific. During the meeting between Austin and Singh, the two countries decided to launch negotiations for two crucial agreements related to the Security of Supply Arrangement and a Reciprocal Defence Procurement in an effort to establish stable supply chains of arms and equipment. The Secretary and Minister Singh also pledged to review regulatory hurdles impeding closer industry-toindustry cooperation and to initiate negotiations on these agreements, the Pentagon said. Austin was on a twoday visit to India arrived in New Delhi from an official visit to Singapore. During bilateral talks between Austin and Singh, both countries were able to conclude a new roadmap for USIndia Defence Industrial Cooperation, which “shall guide the policy direction for the next few years,” according to a statement by the Indian Defence Ministry statement. on Saturday, saying that no state celebrations would be held on the day. The announcement was made through an official release by the state I&PR Department. The Konkan Railway officials informed that the flagging off ceremony of the GoaMumbai Vande Bharat Express has been cancelled in view of the tragic accident in Odisha. Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said he had ordered a high-level probe into the derailment on Friday night. Several coaches of the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express derailed near Bahanaga station in Odisha’s Balasore after hitting a goods train. According to Railway Spokesperson Amitabh Sharma, the accident took place at around 7 pm on Friday.”Around 7 pm, 10-12 coaches of the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express derailed near Baleswar and fell on the opposite track. After some time, another train from Yeswanthpur to Howrah dashed into those derailed coaches resulting in the derailment of its 3-4 coaches,” Sharma told ANI. NDRF’s first team of 22 members from Balasore Railway Station (BLS) has already reached TRAN ACCIDENT SEE PAGE 6 India-US decide to launch talks on security of supply, reciprocal defence procurement agreements Remember: I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.” – King Solomon The roadmap will fast-track technology cooperation and coproduction in areas such as air combat and land mobility systems; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; munitions; and the undersea domain. “This initiative aims to change the paradigm for cooperation between US and Indian defence sectors, including a set of specific proposals that could provide India access to cutting-edge technologies and support India’s defence modernization plans,” the Department of Defence readout said. Austin arrived in India on Sunday to reinforce the major defence partnership and advance cooperation in critical domains between India and the US ahead of Prime Minister Modi’s official state visit to Washington later this month. The Secretary and his counterparts also discussed the growing importance of defence innovation and cooperation in emerging domains such as space, cyberspace, and artificial intelligence. They praised the recent launch of a new Advanced Domains Defence Dialogue and committed to expanding the scope of bilateral defence cooperation to encompass all domains. They also welcomed the establishment of the IndiaUS Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X), a new initiative to advance cutting-edge technology cooperation. The initiative, which the U.S.-India Business Council will launch on June 21, is designed to complement existing government-to-government INDIA - US TALKS FROM PAGE 1
June 9, 2023 INDIA THIS WEEK Friday Over 40 Years Of Experience 5 FAMILY HAIRCUT $ MEN • WOMEN • CHILDREN ROOT TOUCH-UP FOR MEN 20 $ & up SERVICES • BEARD TRIM $500 $ • SHAMPOO 1000 • BLOW DRY $1000 $ 00 • PERM FROM 20 $ 00 • COLOR FROM 20 • HIGHLIGHTS FROM $3500 • SPA PEDICURE FROM $1700 Beauty & Barber Shop 7311 Little River Turnpike, Annandale, VA 22003 info@csbarbernschool.com India-US decide to launch talks on security of supply, reciprocal defence procurement agreements INDIA - US TALKS FROM PAGE 1 collaboration by promoting innovative partnerships between U.S. and Indian companies, investors, start-up accelerators, and academic research institutions, the official release of US Department of Defence read. Moreover, Lloyd Austin and Rajnath Singh also committed to strengthen operational collaboration across all military services, with an eye to supporting India’s leading role as a security provider in the Indo-Pacific. “They talked about fresh possibilities for enhancing information sharing and increase cooperation in the maritime domain. On this point, Secretary Austin welcomed India’s leading position in the Quad IndoPacific Maritime Domain Awareness Initiative (IPMDA), which would give nations throughout the Indo-Pacific region cuttingedge domain awareness capability,” the US Department of Defence said. “In his meeting with National Security Advisor Doval, the Secretary exchanged views about regional and global security issues of concern, including maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region,” the Pentagon said. The Secretary welcomed Doval’s perspective about shared security interests and objectives, including his ideas for greater maritime collaboration, it said. In all of his engagements, the Secretary underscored the centrality of the US-India partnership to maintaining peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region, the US Department of Defence said. The US Defence Secretary said that India and US have taken new measures to strengthen the defence partnership between two countries. He spoke about the establishment of a new roadmap for defence industrial cooperation between India and the US, which will fast-track high priority co-development and co-production projects. US Defence Secretary said that Rajnath Singh and he also spoke about Indus X that aims to enable partnerships between the US and India in defence innovation sectors. “On this visit, I am pleased that we have taken new steps to strengthen our defence partnership. We established an ambitious new roadmap for defence industrial cooperation, which will fast track high priority co-development and co-production projects and build closer ties between our defence industries,” Austin said. “We look forward to advancing some of those projects during the upcoming visit between our leaders later this month. We also discussed an important new initiative, Indus X, that aims to jump start partnerships between the US and Indian defence innovation sectors and we’re looking forward to the formal launch of Indus X in conjunction with Prime Minister Modi’s state visit to Washington,” he said.
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June 9, 2023 Friday INDIA THIS WEEK Indian-American teen Dev Shah wins 2023 National Spelling Bee By Geeta Goindi Of the eleven finalists in the 95th Scripps National Spelling Bee, ten are of Indian origin National Harbor, Maryland, June 4, 2023 – In one of the most widely viewed and eagerly awaited competitions, an IndianAmerican whizkid, Dev Shah, 14, of Largo, Florida, has been crowned champion of the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee. The contest Thursday marked another triumph for the Indian diaspora -- the Spelling Bee has been dominated by children of Indian heritage who have earned the coveted championship trophy in 22 of the past 24 years. In the current edition, they constituted ten of the eleven finalists, emerging from an original pool of some 11 million spellers – a remarkable feat given that Indian-Americans make up just 1.35 percent of the US population. The winning word was ‘Psammophile’ (an organism that prefers or thrives in sandy soils or Dev Shah, 14, winner of the 2023 National Spelling Bee, is flanked by his parents on left and elder brother on right, at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center just outside of Washington, DC. Photo credit: Scripps National Spelling Bee areas) for Dev, an eighth grader at Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School. He received a cash prize of $50,000 with the Bee’s engraved trophy and commemorative medal, $2,500 and a complete reference library from Merriam-Webster, and $400 of reference works from Encyclopedia Britannica, among other rewards. On being pronounced the winner, Dev put his hands over his face trying to register the feeling of elation he was clearly experiencing, even as celebratory confetti fell all around him..“It’s surreal.... My legs are still shaking”, he said clutching the championship trophy presented byAdam Symson, president and CEO of the E.W. Scripps Company. Among the words he spelled correctly in the championship rounds were ‘schistorrhachis’,‘tolsester’, Among the 11 finalists of the 2023 National Spelling Bee are 10 whizkids of Indian origin. The 11 finalists are: Dhruv Subramanian, 12; Vikrant Chintanaboina, 14; Shradha Rachamreddy, 13; Arth Dalsania,14; Dev Shah,14; Aryan Khedkar, 12; Sarah Fernandes, 11; Pranav Anandh, 14; Tarini Nandakumar, 12; Surya Kapu, 14; and Charlotte Walsh, 14. Photo credit: Scripps National Spelling Bee ‘aegagrus’, ‘rommack’, and ‘bathypitotmeter’, the second-to-last word with lightning speed. It was his third time participating in the prestigious competition: in 2019, he tied for 51st place and in 2021, he tied for 76th place, So, it’s been quite a journey for this super speller who, in his spare time from spelling, loves to read, plays tennis and the cello, and solves math problems. “Dev proved his mettle tonight”, Symson said. “His determined focus was captivating – a true reflection of his preparation and poise”. “The Scripps National Spelling Bee is a familiar American experience that inspires and moves us all – it shines a spotlight on camaraderie, learning and language. As the longtime steward of this nearly 100-year-old tradition, Scripps is proud to celebrate Dev and all the young leaders who took the stage this week”, Symson added. Charlotte Walsh of Arlington, Virginia, finished second in the competition. An eighth grader representing Fairfax County Council PTA, she was awarded $25,000. Surya Kapu, 13, of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Shradha Rachamreddy, 13, of San Ramon, California, tied for third place and each received $12,500. The Spelling Bee, held for the second Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], June 7 (ANI): Punjab NRI Affairs Minister Kuldip Singh Dhaliwal has demanded the Centre to solve the matter of 700 Indian students, mostly Punjabis, who are trapped in immigration fraud in Canada and facing deportation cases. Dhaliwal in a letter written to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, demanded that Students should not be deported and given work permits considering their visas He also requested Home Minister Amit Shah to cooperate with Punjab Government to punish travel agents who cheated the consecutive year in-person at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center in National Harbor since the Covid-19 pandemic, began Tuesday morning with 231 spellers. By Wednesday evening, this number had dwindled to eleven finalists: Dhruv Subramanian, 12, Vikrant Chintanaboina, 14, and Shradha Rachamreddy, all three hailing from San Ramon, California; Arth Dalsania, 14, of Thousand Oaks, California; Aryan Khedkar, 12, of Waterford, Michigan; Sarah Fernandes, 11, of Omaha, Nebraska; Pranav Anandh, 14, of Morton, Pennsylvania; Tarini Nandakumar, 12, of Austin, Texas; Surya Kapu, Charlotte Walsh, and Dev students. Punjab Minister urges EAM to solve matter of 700 Indian students facing deportation from Canada “I have also sought time to meet EAM so that the whole matter can be brought to the attention of the GOI personally,” Dhaliwal added. He further said that the law should be strict so that incidents of human trafficking do not happen in future. Dhaliwal also appealed to the people of Punjab that before going abroad or sending their children for studies, the details of the college and the record of the travel agent who is placing your case must be checked. Dhaliwal also informed that the case of the two Punjabi boys sentenced to death in Indonesia is starting again from June 26 and it is hoped that both will be acquitted in this case. He said that the Ministry of External Affairs of India had shared this information with the Punjab government on Monday. (ANI)
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June 9, 2023 Friday INDIA THIS WEEK Coromandel Express collides with goods train in Odisha’s Balasore; 233 dead injured, 900 injured, rescue operations on TRAIN ACCIDENT FROM PAGE 1 the site. Another team from Centralised Traffic Control (CTC) of 32 members started half an hour before, said officials. Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Odisha along with senior officers Hemant Sharma, Balwant Singh, Arvind Agarwal, DG Fire Services were despatched to the spot to supervise arrangements for relief operations after the train accident at Bahanaga. Medical colleges and all hospitals in and around Balasore are put on alert. SCBMC alerted too. 3 NDRF units; 4 ODRAF units and 60 ambulances mobilised, according to the Additional Chief Secretary & Development Commissioner, Odisha. According to Railway Spokesperson Amitabh Sharma, the accident took place at around 7 pm on Friday.”Around 7 pm, 10-12 coaches of the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express derailed near Baleswar and fell on the opposite track. After some time, another train from Yeswanthpur to Howrah dashed into those derailed coaches resulting in the derailment of its 3-4 coaches,” Sharma told ANI. The Prime Minister Modi took stock of the situation In a tweet, PM Modi said, “Took stock of the situation at the site of the tragedy in Odisha. Words can’t capture my deep sorrow. We stand committed to providing all possible assistance to those affected. I laud all those working round the clock, on the ground and helping out in relief work.” The Prime Minister was accompanied by Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. After visiting the accident spot, PM Modi visited Fakir Mohan Hospital, Balasore, where some of the injured passengers are admitted. After meeting the accident survivors, he said a probe has been ordered into the horrific derailment and those found guilty will not be spared. PM Modi also convened a high-level meeting to review the accident. “It’s a painful incident. We might not be able to bring back the lives lost in the accident but are with the families of the victims in this hour of grief. The government has taken very serious note of this incident and will leave no stone unturned in the treatment of the injured. Instructions have been given to investigate this incident and ensure that those found guilty are not spared,” PM Modi said. Meanwhile, as per the official figures, the accident on Friday night left 288 people dead and over 1000 injured. Congress Leaders Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and AICC In-Charge A Chella Kumar visit the train crash site Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has deputed Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and AICC InCharge A Chella Kumar to visit the train crash site in Odisha to take stock of the situation. “I want to applaud the relief teams present at the site. I wouldn’t say they are not trying...they absolutely are. But all these tasks should have happened before such incidents occur, it is happening after the incident. If this kind of method was there before the incident, then perhaps we would not have seen the accident,” said Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary. NDRF says it pulled out 44 passengers alive, From The Poet’s Pen INDIA THIS WEEK Do It Now Phone: 301-445-0200; 301-917-4800 www.indiathisweek.online INDIA THIS WEEK- June 9, 2023 by Berton Braley (1882-1966) If with pleasure you are viewing Any work a man is doing, If you like him or you love him, tell him now; Don’t withhold your approbation Till the parson makes oration And he lies with snowy lilies on his brow; No matter how you shout it He won’t really care about it; He won’t know how many teardrops you have shed; If you think some praise is due him Now’s the time to slip it to him, For he cannot read his tombstone when he’s dead. More than fame and more than money Is the comment kind and sunny And the hearty, warm approval of a friend. For it gives to life a savor, And it makes you stronger, braver, And it gives you heart and spirit to the end; If he earns your praise — bestow it; If you like him let him know it; Let the words of true encouragement be said; Do not wait till life is over And he’s underneath the clover, For he cannot read his tombstone when he’s dead. Address: P.O. Box 352, Bryans Road, MD 20616 India This Week is published every Friday by ADV Solutions Inc, Views expressed in this paper are those of the individual writers and not necessarily of India This Week. India This Week accepts no liability for the errors in advertisements or in any of its reports. For remedial actions any errors should be brought to the attention of the editor by the information provided below. Publisher: Chief Editor: Contributing Editors: Dr. Babu Stephen Rajan George Saju Mathew Isaac George Asst. Editors: Manu Jacob Sherena Panjikkaran Special Business Correspondent Elisha B. Pulivarti Business Coordinators Rajan C. George Jithu Johny Panjikkaran Dr. Renuka Misra, Special Correspondent: Geeta Goindi Community Coordinator: Prof. Vinod Goel India Office Manesh Krishna Columnists: Anadi Naik World Religions Dr. Sam Prasad Jillella Photo Journalist: Mathew Karmel, System Admn. & Maintenance: Rajan C. George Layout & Graphics: Prinston Samuel, Business Affairs: Mrs. Molly George CALL US • 301-445-0200 • 301-917-4800 e-Mails: Advertisements: indiathisweekads@gmail.com Press Releases: indiathisweekpress@yahoo.com Web: www.indiathisweek.online retrieved 112 bodies As the nation mourned the loss of lives in the horrific triple train accident in Balasore, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said on Saturday that their personnel pulled out 44 passengers alive from the mangled coaches of the passenger trains and retrieved 112 bodies. The NDRF added that its personnel were conducting a last round of search with the help of other agencies. “After rescuing 44 live victims & retrieving 112 bodies till now, NDRF teams conducting Final Search with other agencies,” tweeted NDRF. CM Patnaik announces exgratia of Rs 5 lakh each to kin of dead, Rs 1 lakh for injured Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of the deceased in the train derailment in Balasore from CM’s Relief Fund. “The next of kin of the deceased will get the assistance of Rs 5 lakh and those who sustained serious injuries will get Rs 1 lakh as assistance,” the Office of the Chief Minister (CMO) Odisha said. The disastrous train accident has claimed 288 lives so far while over 1,000 people sustained injuries. The Chief Minister has also conveyed his deep sympathy to the bereaved families. And wishes speedy recovery of the injured, it stated. The victims of the train accident are undergoing treatment in various government and private hospitals between Bhubaneswar and Balasore, it further read. On Saturday, Odisha CM reached the accident site and took stock of the situation in Odisha’s Balasore where a passenger train collided with a goods train leaving several injured. Meanwhile, the restoration work is underway at Odisha’s Balasore where two passenger trains and a goods carriage were involved in a horrific accident. The preliminary report on the tragedy said the three-way accident involved BengaluruHowrah Superfast Express, the Coromandel Express and goods trains on three separate tracks at Bahanaga Bazar Station in Balasore district. As many as 17 coaches of these two passenger trains were derailed and severely damaged in the accident on Friday evening. (ANI) Remember: “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. ” JESUS CHRIST
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June 9, 2023 Friday INDIA THIS WEEK “Electronic interlocking” behind Balasore train accident: Railway Minister Balasore (Odisha) [India], June 4 (ANI): Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday said that the tragic train accident in Odisha’s Balasore occurred due to a “change in electronic interlocking“. Electronic interlocking is an arrangement of signal apparatus that prevents conflicting movements between trains through an arrangement of tracks. It is basically a safety measure to prevent signals from being changed in improper sequence. The aim of this system is that no train gets the signal to proceed unless the route is proven safe. Speaking to ANI, Ashwini Vaihsnaw said, “This is a different issue. It is about point machine, electronic interlocking. The change that occurred during electronic interlocking, the accident happened due to that. Whoever did it and how it happened will be found out after proper investigation.” He further said that restoration work is going on and normalcy will be restored before Wednesday morning. “The commissioner of railway safety has investigated the matter and it won’t be right for me to comment on that. Let the investigation report come. But the cause of the accident has been identified and the people responsible for it have been identified. Right now our focus is on restoration. There are two main lines and two loop lines. The work is underway and we will definitely complete restoration well before our target of Wednesday morning,” Vaishnaw said. The Railway Minister also refuted West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s allegation that the accident could have been averted with Kavach (anti-collision) device. “It has nothing to do with Kavach. The reason is not what Mamata Banerjee said yesterday. She said as per understanding,” he added. Meanwhile, as per the official figures, the accident on Friday night left 288 people dead and over 1000 injured. The three-way accident involved Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Coromandel Express and a goods train on three separate tracks at Bahanaga Bazar Station in the Balasore district. Aditya Kumar Chaudhary, the Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO), South Eastern Railway said that the restoration work is underway at the site. “Capsized bogies have been removed...2 bogies of goods train also have been removed...work of connecting track is going on from one side...will finish the work as soon as possible,” he said. As per the Ministry of Railways, the restoration work is going in full swing and the officials are closely monitoring the restoration process at the accident site. A manpower of over 1000 people are engaged in the work. More than seven Poclain Machines, two Accident Relief Trains, 3-4 Railway and Road Cranes are deployed, the Ministry stated. The preliminary report on the tragedy said Sehore (Madhya Pradesh) [India], June 7 (ANI): A rescue operation is still underway in Mungaoli village of Sehore district to rescue a two-year-old girl who fell into a borewell while playing in the field on Tuesday afternoon. The incident occurred in Mungavali village under Mandi police station limits in the district around 2 pm. The girl has been identified as Shristi Kushwaha. According to the officials, oxygen is being supplied to the girl. “We are continuously drilling the ground. We have to reach a depth of 30 feet. We will reach up to the level of the child within a few hours. After that horizontal drilling will be done by the NDRF team and the child will be rescued. We are supplying oxygen to the girl,” Sehore Collector Ashish Tiwari told ANI. According to the information, the girl reached near the bore in the field while playing and fell into it. Upon getting the information about the incident, the administration reached along with a team at the spot and started the rescue operation. Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Aman Mishra said, “A two-and-ahalf-year-old girl, Shrishti Kushwaha has fallen into a borewell. Now the army is trying to extract her with its own mechanism. The work of digging a parallel tunnel is going on,” Sehore in-charge collector Ashish Tiwari said. “The girl is still stuck 100 feet inside in the borewell. State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Army are performing a joint rescue operation to save the girl. We thought that the child was caught in the hook but only her dress was caught in it,” he added. “We are trying our best to rescue the girl as soon as possible. We have dug out 22 feet so far (till the report was filed) and the girl is stuck at about 25 to 30 feet. We are continuously the three-way accident involved Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Coromandel Express and a goods train on three separate tracks at Bahanaga Bazar Station in Balasore district. As many as 17 coaches of these two passenger trains were derailed and severely damaged in the accident on Friday evening. Seven National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Teams, five Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) Units and 24 Fire Services and Emergency units were involved in rescue operations. The Indian Air Force (IAF) deployed Mi-17 helicopters for the evacuation of the deceased and injured. According to the Eastern Command, IAF coordinated with the rescue efforts with the civil administration and Indian Railways. (ANI) supplying oxygen to the girl and she is responding,” he added. (ANI) Child falls into borewell in MP’s Sehore; rescue ops underway As soon as we received information about the matter, we reached the spot with the adequate police force, SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) team, NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) team and started the rescue operation.” The attempt to pull out the child who fell into a 300 feet deep borewell in Madhya Pradesh‘s Sehore district with the help of a hook has failed and the twoand-half-year old could not be rescued yet, Sehore incharge collector said. “Only the girl’s dress caught the hook and the girl could not come out.
FRIDAY JUNE 9, 2023 9 51 hours, over 2300 staff, here’s how Ashwini Vaishnawled team worked on Odisha Rail Accident By Payal Mehta New Delhi [India], June 7 (ANI): Late on the evening of June 2, when the deadly rail accident took place in Balasore in Odisha the public had very little idea of how devastating its impact would be. The challenge was staring in its face for the first responders and the concerned department of Indian Railways Within hours of the accident, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was on the ground. While he traversed through the accident site, understanding the technicalities of the accident, and of course monitoring the rescue and relief operations, it was not without a plan. “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,” a senior official told ANI. There was definitely a plan in place to ensure maximum utilisation of the human resources with the single focus being on saving as many lives as possible, ensuring medical assistance was provided at the earliest to the injured and most of all work was done to ensure the train line was clear and running as soon as possible. “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”, a senior railway ministry source told ANI. These officials from the Ministry of Railways were working on the ground on the train track and its repair work which involves a lot of technicality. But this was not the single focus of the job at hand. The other focus was to ensure that no problems on the ground existed for those who were admitted to the hospital for treatment. 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 instructions were very clear to us that not only is the rescue and relief operation on the ground important but even the comfort of those in hospital is equally important. That is the reason senior officials were dispatched to oversee the situation”, another senior official who worked on the ground in the team told ANI. The war room at the Minister of Railways headquarters in the national capital in the railway ministry was keeping a constant watch on the developments round the clock. “Four cameras giving live feed of the developments on the ground at the 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,” a source said. 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. “It was effectively ensured that every team that worked on the ground whether at the accident site or in the hospital were given timely breaks and they were kept well hydrated”, a team member coordinating ground teams told ANI. 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. (ANI)
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