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Train rams into school van, kills 13 students (Roundup)
Gorakhpur/New Delhi, April 26 (IANS) At least 13 students under 10 years were killed when a speeding train rammed into their school van at an unmanned rail crossing in Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh and halted only after dragging the mangled vehicle for some 100 metres.
At least four students and the driver of the van, who Chief Minister Yogi Aditynath alleged had an earphone and was listening to music while driving, were among the injured, doctors and officials said. Two of them were in critical condition.
The horrific incident took place around 7.10 a.m. at the Dudhi Behpurva rail gate when the children were headed to a Divine Public School and were hit by the Gorakhpur-Siwan Passenger at the Dudhi Behpurva crossing, 100 km from Gorakhpur.
The injured were rushed to Pandrauna Hospital, about 30 km away. Indian Railways spokesperson Ved Prakash told IANS that the children died on the spot.
President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives.
“Shocked to learn about the horrific accident… Thoughts and prayers with the bereaved families and with those injured,” the President tweeted.A
Modi conveyed his deep pain over the incident and asked the Railways and Uttar Pradesh government to take appropriate action in the matter.A
Railway Board Chairman Ashwahi Lohani on Thursday said the Railways were committed to “eliminate unmanned level crossings by 2020” but said people needed to be careful while crossing the unmanned level crossings.
Lohani also said that the railways had been aggressively removing unmanned level crossing in the last few years. He said 1,565 of them were eliminated in 2017-18 and the target is of removing 1,600 in 2018-19.
A North Eastern Railway official said at least 25 people, mostly children below the age of 10 years, were in the van.
“I am deeply anguished and pained by the loss of lives of young school children… My thoughts are with families of the deceased and I pray for the early recovery of the injured,” Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said in a statement.
The Minister announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of the victims, Rs 1 lakh to those critically injured and Rs 50,000 to those with minor injuries.
He said he had ordered an enquiry into the incident. “We stand committed to take all possible steps to avoid such accidents in future.”
An accident relief medical train from Gorakhpur was dispatched to the site.A
Adityanath visited the accident site and the hospital to meet the injured children. He directed the Divisional Commissioner of Gorakhpur to conduct a probe into the incident. He too announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the deceased.
After meeting the injured at the hospital, he said: “I am told that the van driver was wearing earphones while driving… This is a case of pure negligence.
“An inquiry has been ordered… The guilty will face the most severe punishment,” he said.
Adityanath later told the media that prima facie the accident appeared to be the fault of the van driver, who apparently was listening to music on his earphones.A
“I spoke to the Railway Minister and have requested him to find a way out to ensure that such unmanned railway crossings be manned,” he said.
An official said the Chief Minister had ordered that school vans across the state be checked on whether they were following the safety guidelines or not.
In Lucknow, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) demanded that the railways appoint staff at all unmanned level crossings across the country to make them safer for people.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.