The alleged delay in arranging light at the train accident site in Odisha's Balasore might have hampered the rescue operations, say the local people and even some officials. Though the accident took place at 7 pm on Friday, the complete light arrangement with high-mast lighting was set up only by 2.30 am.
As many as 275 people died and more than 1,000 others got injured in the accident involving two express trains and a goods train near Bahanaga station. The Howrah-Chennai Coromandel Express crashed into a stationary goods train, derailing most of its coaches some of which toppled over the last few coaches of the Bengaluru-Howrah express which was passing by at the same time in the opposite direction.
A comparison is now being made with another accident the Coromandel Express had met with on February 13, 2009 at Jajpur-Keonjhar Road station in same route towards south of Bahanaga. Following the accident, in which 19 people died, the Jajpur district administration immediately asked local industries in Kalingnagar Steel city to install high-mast lights around the site as it was almost evening. Dhiren Das, who was the Collector at that time, said the local industries immediately came to help the administration and, within half an hour, made lighting arrangements which helped in conducting rescue operation.
Bahanaga tragedy is much bigger than the previous accident and light arrangement was an urgent need for the rescue operation after the mishap. Local people say since the accident site is just 25 km from district town of Balasore and is well connected by roads, the light arrangements could have been made even earlier so that rescue efforts could have picked up faster.
Maybe, it could have saved a few lives.
According to local journalists, the enterprising people of Bahanaga set up some halogen lights after getting connections from nearby homes around one and a half hours after the accident. In the meantime, rescue efforts were being carried out with the help of torches and mobile phone lights.
Sisir Roy of Bahanaga said officials and ODRF rescue teams reached the accident site around one and a half hours after the accident. After that, Balasore MLA Swarup Das persuaded a national highway contractor to install some high-mast lights at the site. The Soro MLA also reached the spot and the contractor installed a few high-mast lights by 10 pm.
By 11 pm, the local BDO and the Tahsildar made more lighting arrangements after getting a few accessories from the local markets. But that was not enough because of the enormity of the accident.
The complete lighting arrangements by the administration with high-mast lights were made only by 2.30 am. It is felt that this delay of seven hours might have proved costly, though officials did not want to comment.
It is being asked if 14 years ago, a nearby district had been able to cover the accident site with full-fledged lighting arrangements, that too within half an hour, why the same could not be done at Bahanaga. Moreover, Balasore is also a big industrial town and local industries could have been roped in to make immediate light arrangements.
Officials admit that the procedure adopted at Jajpur should have been part of the standard operating procedure during the rescue operations.