Tezgam Express tragedy: Body to re-inquire/revisit FGIR's report, NA body told

A parliamentary panel on Thursday was informed that a committee comprising three Assistant General Managers (AGMs) of the Pakistan Railways had been constituted to re-inquire/revisit the inquiry report of the Federal Government Inspector of Railways (FGIR) on the matter of Tezgam Express tragedy following the directives of the Supreme Court.

The meeting of the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Railways was held under the chairmanship of Muhammad Moeen Wattoo here at the Ministry of Railways.

The committee was informed that the findings of the re-inquiry of the incident were awaited and the Minister for Railways advised the Ministry of Railways to provide the copy of the report to the committee.

The Chief Executive, Ministry of Railways and other informed that the final report of the Tezgam Express tragedy was submitted to the committee in its meeting held on 24 February 2020 along with facts and figures, fixation of responsibility and recommendations.

He further informed on the question of the members of the committee that some more compensation cheques had been received from the Postal Life Insurance, and would be delivered on Thursday (yesterday) to the respective legal heirs of the deceased passengers.

The remaining compensation cheques were still under scrutiny.

The committee also heard the legal heirs of some deceased passengers, who demanded that Railways should issue the death certificates of those deceased whose bodies were not identified even through DNA tests, the committee advised the legal heirs to approach the civil court for issuance of death certificates, and the Ministry Railways is bound to present the circumstances evidence in the court for issuance of death certificate to 11 unidentified bodies for issuance of compensation through Postal Life Insurance.

The committee also emphasized that the federal government might consider the request of legal heirs for more compensation and the summary of Ministry of Railways in the matter be accepted.

Further, the Ministry of Railways may also consider its previous recommendation regarding job in Railways to one legal heir of all the deceased passengers only.

As regard the implementation status of the previous recommendations of the committee, the members have raised the objection that the Ministry of Railways was least bother about the implementation of the recommendations made by the committee.

Particularly, the Ministry of Railways used delaying tactics in timely submission of the report of the FGIR regarding the Tezgam Express tragedy that happened on October 31, 2019, and compensation announced for the deceased/injured passengers by the Ministry of Railway to the committee.

The committee approved the minutes of its meeting held on 24th February, 2020 with some corrections.