While Union railway minister Mukul Roy has said he cannot hazard a guess on what could have caused the fire on the Tamil Nadu Express here, his deputy KM Muniyappa has said the possibility of sabotage cannot be ruled out.
Roy told reporters here on Monday that investigating team would submit its preliminary report in a month’s time. He said the state government had asked the forensic department to take samples of the cinders of the bogie to determine the cause of fire. “We will be able to say anything on the cause of fire only after studying the preliminary report,” he said.
Minister of state for railways KM Muniyappa said the possibility of sabotage could not be ruled. The Railway Safety Commission (RSC), an independent agency, was asked to probe the mishap and the government would respond after receiving the report. He said the bodies would be kept at the station here for 72 hours before being shifted to the railway hospital in Chennai.
He announced that Rs 5 lakh would be provided to the bereaved family as ex gratia and `1 lakh to those injured critically and `25,000 to those injured mildly. The South Central Railway would bear the medical expenses for treatment of the injured, he said.
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