Utkal Express mishap: Railways invites people to be part of inquiry into derailment

New Delhi: The commissioner of railway safety on Sunday invited people to be part of the inquiry into the derailment of the Utkal Express. The move comes in the wake of people at the spot in Khatauli in Uttar Pradesh alleging negligence on the part of the railways that led to the accident on Saturday evening. [caption id=“attachment_3953517” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] A mangled coach of the Puri-Haridwar Utkal Express train being hauled off the tracks by a crane in Khatauli near Muzaffarnagar on Sunday[/caption] The invitation to the public was issued by Commissioner of Railway Safety Shailesh Kumar Pathak. “The general public is invited to tender evidence at the inquiry and also send information relating to the accident to the commissioner of railway safety,” a Northern Railway press release said. People have been asked to send information in writing to the commissioner’s office in Delhi. Pathak, who will start his inquiry on Monday, will also scan a 15-minute audio clip containing a conversation between a rail staffer and a media person, in which the railway employee alleges that the track was broken and the work to repair it was not being done properly. “We have got the clip from the media and heard it. In the clip, it sounds like a conversation between a railway worker and a media person. In it, the worker is saying that the work was going on on the track and it was being done negligently. We are verifying its authenticity. “In fact, during the commissioner’s inquiry, the common people will be asked to provide any information that they have on the accident,” said Member Traffic, Railways, Md Jamshed had earlier said. People have been earlier also asked to provide information in case of accidents by the commissioner.