Mahakumbh 2025: Following the devastating stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station(NDLS), that claimed the lives of 18 people, the Railways have announced that special trains to Prayagraj would depart only from Platform 16 of the station.
All passengers travelling from Delhi to Prayagraj would now have to use the Kashmiri Gate for entry and exit, stated the latest release.
The recent development comes after the Delhi Police revealed that the stampede at NDLS happened because of the “confusion” over the announcement of the trains “having the same initial name starting with ‘Prayagraj’.”
“ The announcement of the Prayagraj Special arriving at Platform 16 led to confusion because the Prayagraj Express was already at Platform 14. People who couldn’t reach to their train at Platform 14 thought their train was arriving at Platform 16 leading to the stampede,” news wire ANI quoted the Delhi Police as saying.
Apart from designating Platform 16 for Prayagraj bound trains, the Central government also deployed additional RPF & GRP forces in the New Delhi Railway station.
Four special trains announced
The Northern Railways also announced four special trains for Mahakumbh travellers:
1. Train NO-04420 from New Delhi to Prayagraj Junction, to depart at 19.00 Hrs
2. Train NO-04422 from New Delhi to Prayagraj Junction, to depart at 21.00 Hrs.
3. Train No.-04424 from Anand Vihar Terminal to Prayagraj Junction, to depart at 20.00 Hrs
4. Train No.-04418 from New Delhi to Darbhanga Junction, to depart at 15.00 Hrs.
The Indian Railway has also scheduled five more special trains for Monday, February 17, to tackle the mammoth rush for Mahakumbh.
High committee probe for stampede
A two member high level committee announced to probe the stampede incident has begun its work, added the release by the Ministry of Railways. The committee comprises of Pankaj Gangwar, principal chief security commissioner and Nar Singh, principal chief commercial manager of Northern Railway.
Earlier in the day, Indian Railways announced an ex-gratia of rupees 10 lakh to the kin of all the 18 deceased.
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