Rs 19.26 crore of compensation disbursed to Odisha train crash victims

New Delhi: Following the tragic triple crash in Balasore district of Odisha, Indian Railways has already disbursed Rs 19.26 crore till date in 688 cases so far.

Speaking to the news agency ANI, Aditya Kumar Chaudhary, CPRO, South Eastern Railway, said, “There are 688 cases of compensation so far and Rs 19.26 crores have been disbursed till date. Inquiry is going on in full swing.”

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Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had announced ex-gratia immediately after the accident -- Rs 10 lakh in case of death, Rs 2 lakh for grievous injuries and Rs 50,000 for minor injuries.

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The Indian Railways is paying ex-gratia amount at seven locations -- Soro, Kharagpur, Balasore, Khantapara, Bhadrak, Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.

There are around 800 victims who are yet to be identified. The South Eastern Railway has put up their photographs on its website for identification purposes.

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Indian railways on Sunday said that even ticketless travellers on board the passenger trains involved in the Odisha accident will receive compensation. 

This is in line with a Supreme Court order, officials had said.

Also read: How humanity died a million deaths in Balasore