Late on June 2, a devastating rail accident took place in Balasore, Odisha, leaving many injured. Within hours, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was on the ground overseeing the rescue and relief operations. Vaishnaw’s team worked with a clear plan to ensure maximum utilization of human resources and to provide medical assistance to the injured as soon as possible. Eight teams, consisting of at least 70 members, were constituted and supervised by Senior Section Engineers (SSE) and Railway Board members.
Apart from repairing the train tracks, Vaishnaw’s team also prioritized the comfort of patients in hospitals. The Chairman of Railway Board and DG Health were dispatched to Cuttack and Bhubaneswar hospitals, respectively, to oversee the medical treatment of passengers. In the national capital, a war room at the Railway Ministry headquarters monitored the developments round the clock and provided real-time progress reports to Vaishnaw and his team.
Vaishnaw, a seasoned bureaucrat turned politician, handled the super cyclone crisis in the district of Balasore, Odisha, in 1999, and has experience in disaster management. One of the major challenges his team faced was ensuring that those working on the ground did not experience burnout due to the hectic schedule and sultry weather. They ensured that every team was given timely breaks and kept hydrated.
After 51 hours on the ground, Vaishnaw and his team finally saw the up line running and functional, providing some relief to the emotional and physically exhausted group. The Railway Minister bowed his head down with folded hands in a prayer to the almighty, thanking for the successful completion of the rescue and relief operations.
