Railway Minister Vaishnaw holds meeting with officials in Odisha's Balasore

Balasore (Odisha) [India], June 20 : Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday held a meeting with the District Magistrate, Superintendent of Police and State government officials in Odisha's Balasore, where nearly 300 people were killed in an accident involving three trains earlier this month.

Vaishnaw arrived here on Monday for a three-day tour of the state. He also interacted with local individuals who generously provided assistance.

The minister announced Rs 1 crore from his MP local area development (LAD) fund and another Rs 1 crore from Railways funds for the development of Bahanaga village and the hospital there.

"I appreciated and thanked the people of Bahanaga for the way they came out and worked in unison with the administration and the Railways on the day of the accident. I also had discussions with the people of the village about the development work that can be done here. Accordingly, Rs 2 crore has been sanctioned for the development of the village and the hospital," Vaishnaw told reporters after the interaction.

It is noteworthy that Ashwini Vaishnaw has experience in disaster management as a collector of the district of Balasore, Vaishnaw has handled the super cyclone crisis in the past.

Vaishnaw also reached the accident site in Balasore after a few hours of the accident leading a team of over 2300 officials to ensure the restoration of the rail line and the successful completion of rescue and relief operations.