Unforeseen unity: Sea of volunteers pitch in

Neeraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 20

Assisted by volunteers of a number of NGOs, several departments of the district administration worked like a well-oiled machine to take the injured to hospitals swiftly after the train accident late on Friday evening.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) KS Sangha said it was for the first time in the city’s history that so many people died in a rail accident. Timely treatment of the injured is administration’s top priority to ensure no more loss of life, he said.

He said it was a challenge to pick the bodies strewn over the tracks and send these to mortuaries in city hospitals.

Besides Capt Amarinder Singh, Governor VP Singh Badnore, Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha, Cabinet minister Sukhbinder Singh Sukh Sarkaria, Food and Supply Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Education Minister OP Soni, Home Secretary NS Kalsi, DGP Suresh Arora, DGP (Law and Order) Hardeep Singh Dhillon, Session Judge KS Kang, Commissioner (Jalandhar Division) B Purshartha, Police Commissioner SS Srivastav among others observed the medical, rescue and relief works.

Immediately after the mishap, ambulances swung into action and various hospitals, including civil, Guru Nanak Dev, IVY, Amandeep, Hartej, Military, Fortis and Guru Ram Das were secured for the injured.

Similarly, two control rooms, equipped with helplines, were set up to handle enquiries. “Assistance of Red Cross Society was taken to secure the volunteers from different city-based NGOs to ensure blood donation and two duty officers in each hospital were deployed for assistance to the injured and their family members,” the DC said.

He informed water and langar were arranged for the relatives of the injured by the NGOs at the hospitals.