All Kumbh Special Trains To Operate From Platform 16 At New Delhi Railway Station: Sources

All Kumbh special trains will now operate from platform number 16 of the New Delhi Railway Station from now on, sources said on Sunday.

The decision has been made to make the platform easily accessible for the passengers who will have direct entry and exit from the Ajmeri Gate side. Station sources said that they were using platform 14 too for the operation of Kumbh special trains, however, from now on, however, they will run from platform number 16.

The decision comes in the wake of a massive mishap in which 18 people died while several others were injured in a stampede at around 10 pm on Saturday. The Railways has set up a two-member committee – comprising Northern Railway’s Principal Chief Commercial Manager (PCCM), Narsingh Deo, and Principal Chief Safety Commissioner (PCSC), Pankaj Gangwarto – to investigate the stampede incident.

The committee has begun its high-level inquiry and ordered the securing of all CCTV footage of the railway station. The Railways has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the families of the deceased and Rs 2.5 lakh for serious injuries and Rs 1 lakh for those sustaining minor injuries.

The Opposition demanded the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, seeking accountability. Meanwhile, Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar on Sunday said that the Ministry of Railways is investigating if there is any “conspiracy or fake news” that caused the stampede.

“It is a very sad incident. We and our government are very sad. The Rail Ministry is investigating this incident to understand if any conspiracy or fake news was propagated that caused such an incident,” Majumdar said.