After confusion over mode of transport, bodies sent via road

| | NEW DELHI
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After confusion over mode of transport, bodies sent via road

Tuesday, 10 December 2019 | Staff Reporter | NEW DELHI

After confusion over mode of transport, bodies sent via road

A day after the inferno at a building in Anaj Mandi left 43 dead, there was utter confusion among relatives and family members of the deceased as to what mode of transport should be chosen for the dispatch of bodies to their respective homes. Ultimately, bowing to pressure from families of the victims, the Bihar Government on Monday decided to use ambulances to carry the bodies via road, instead of trains.

Earlier, it was decided that the railways will carry the bodies in the seating-cum-luggage rake (SLR) coach on the Swatantrata Senani Express over Monday and Tuesday. However, the victims’ families objected to the arrangement, choosing to take the over 1,000 km journey by road instead.

“The families were not comfortable in taking the bodies by train, so we have decided to send them in ambulances. One ambulance will have two bodies. All the preparations were made for sending the bodies by train. Special coaches were also attached (to the train) but the family members (of victims) did not agree to let the bodies go by train,” said Kumar Digvijay, Joint Labour Commissioner, Bihar Bhawan.

“As soon post-mortem is conducted, we are sending the bodies home. Till now 36 bodies have been identified and we are trying to send them to the State as soon as possible. The procedure is slow, but we are trying our best,” he said.

All the labourers, who lost their lives, belonged to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. 

Zakir Hussain from Bihar’s Madhubanj area lost his brother, Shakir, in the massive fire on Sunday.

He said the Bihar Government has made arrangements for the relatives to carry the bodies back home on trains but there was no clarity on the procedure.

He said Delhi Minister Imran Hussain had said on Sunday that the Delhi Government will provide individual ambulances to them to take the bodies home. Family members and relatives also had a heated exchange with local hospital authorities on the issue.

They said it is difficult for them to transport the bodies in trains.

“We are not happy about travelling by train. Train would stop at Samastipur station and our village Barijana is another 70 km from there,” said Mohammad Shamshir from Begusarai, Bihar.

Shamshir’s neighbour Naveen Kumar, 19, died in the fire and he is here to collect his body. “Kumar hails from a very poor family. His father is a taxi driver in Kolkata and mother works in fields,” said Shamshir.

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