Elphinstone stampede: Western Railway offered Rs 1.36 crore exgratia to kin of victims

Mumbai: The Western Railway has so far issued Rs 1.36 crore as exgratia to the kin of the victims of Elphinstone Road railway station foot overbridge stampede in which 23 people were killed and 37 injured, an official said on Friday.

"Out of Rs 1.36 crore, we have disbursed Rs 10,735,000 in cheque while Rs 28,65,000 in cash to meet the emergency expenses," he said.

Twenty-three passengers were killed and 36 injured in a deadly rush hour stampede that occurred on a narrow foot overbridge connecting the Elphinstone Road railway station to Parel station on September 29.

The WR said it was offering all kinds of assistance to the kin of the deceased as well as to the injured passengers in claiming the compensation.

"In the unfortunate incident of the Elphinstone Road station stampede, the Western Railway is providing all assistance to the kin of the deceased and injured in claiming compensation. For assisting kin of the deceased, WR's Commercial Department staffers are visiting the families of deceased and helping them in filling the necessary forms for claiming compensation from the Railway Claim Tribunal," the WR said in a statement.

A help desk/assistance cell has already been set up at the Churchgate headquarter of WR.

The accident compensation forms had also been distributed to the family members of the deceased at KEM Hospital, besides, others have been contacted on phone, so as to make these forms available to them at the earliest.

"So far eight families have visited the Assistance cell," it said, adding that a camp has been organised at Churchgate to expedite the process.

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal had announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased, Rs 1 lakh for the grievously injured and Rs 50,000 for those with minor injuries.

The Maharashtra government had announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the families of those killed.