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Retired SC judge to probe mishap

The Union Cabinet today decided to set up a commission headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to probe the Gaisal railway accident.

The government also suspended five senior railway officials charging them with negligence that caused one of the worst accidents.

The government also asked North East Frontier Railway General Manager Rajinder Nath to proceed on leave.

Briefing newsmen, Information and Broadcasting Minister Pramod Mahajan said the Cabinet had taken a serious note of the accident and directed Cabinet Secretary Prabhat Kumar to prepare a disaster management scheme within six months.

Mahajan said that so far bodies of 285 passengers had been recovered.

Replying to a question, he said that Railway Minister Nitish Kumar did not attend today's meeting.

He said the Cabinet paid homage to those killed in the accident.

He said five officials including Chief Operations Manager S B Bhattacharya, Chief Safety Officer R K Thanga and Divisional Safety Officer Hariharan Rao have been suspended.

Mahajan said Chief Safety Commissioner M Mani was expected to give his report within a week.

UNI

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