5 relief trains for Ahmedabad

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JAN. 27. Despite grappling with extensive damage to tracks, bridges and its staff quarters and buildings in the earthquake belt in Gujarat, the Railways has joined the civic relief efforts in a big way. All goods sheds in the quake-hit areas have been converted into shelters and five earthquake specials flagged off for Ahmedabad from different parts of the country for NGOs and relatives of the affected people. It was decided to waive the fare for transporting voluntary rescue workers, relatives of the quake-hit and relief material to Gujarat.

Orders have been issued to the field staff to commandeer all wagons loaded with GI sheets anywhere on the network and direct them towards Ahmedabad. The Railways has got in touch with the local civic authorities in order to ease the pressure on local hospitals, rushing medical relief trains as well as ambulance cars to rush the injured to other hospitals in the country. Staffed with railway doctors and paramedical staff, these trains are being sent to Ahmedabad and Palanpur. The details were read out by the Minister of State for Railways, Mr. O. Rajgopal, in the absence of the Railway Minister, Ms. Mamata Banerjee, away in West Bengal.

Speaking from Siliguri, Ms. Banerjee said that if the need arose, more specials would be run and passengers and NGO representatives transported free of cost. At 4 p.m. today, special trains departed simultaneously from Chennai, Bangalore, Howrah, Mumbai and New Delhi. In anticipation of an exodus of officials from the Centre, a 18-coach rake was being readied for stabling at Bhuj/Gandhidham for their stay.

While attending to the affected, the Railways is working round the clock to repair its network. Initial estimates indicated damage to at least three dozen bridges, 100 stations, 15 cabins and 350 staff quarters. Efforts were on to restore the link to Bhuj and Gandhidham, badly affected by shifting of girders and cracks in piers.

The Railways swung into action as soon as the quake subsided, stopping trains in the affected areas of Bhavnagar, Ajmer, Ahmedabad and Vadodara. This was followed by an extensive inspection on foot and by trollies, motor trollies and light shunting engines. Just before midnight on Friday, the Rajkot-Okha section was given a fitness certificate. While the Bhavnagar division was declared fit, speed restrictions have been imposed on 41 locations. The railways is also carrying out relief work for its staff in the affected area.

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