Railways Sets Up 24X7 '139' Helpline For Info On Victims Of Odisha Tragedy; Prompt Disbursal Of Compensations

Aiming at providing a helping hand to give correct information in the hour of grief in the aftermath of the terrible tragedy in Balasore, Indian Railways has made special arrangements at helpline number 139 to facilitate family/friends/relatives of deceased persons and passengers stranded in Odisha.

A team of senior officers is manning the helpline 24X7 and will provide all the relevant details to the callers after coordinating with the Zonal Railways and State Government.

This service will continue uninterrupted and will ensure prompt disbursal of enhanced ex-gratia announced by the Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw: Rs 10 Lakh in case of death; Rs 2 Lakh towards grievous injuries and Rs 50,000 for minor injuries.

The aim of the Railway Helpline 139 is to provide a helping hand and to give correct and satisfactory information to the aggrieved passengers and their kins in this trying time.

So far, Railways have disbursed Rs 3.22 crore as ex-gratia in 285 cases (11 death cases, 50 Grievous injuries cases, 224 simple injury cases). Indian Railways is paying an ex-gratia amount at 7 locations (Soro, Kharagpur, Balasore, Khantapara, Bhadrak, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar).