Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh set up a Crisis Management Group on Friday night to monitor the relief and rehabilitation efforts in the wake of the Amritsar train accident that left over 50 people dead.
The group is led by Health Minister Brahm Mohindra, with Revenue Minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria and Technical Education Minister Charanjit Singh Channi as members. The team has rushed to the accident site to assess the situation.
A state mourning has been declared for Saturday. All offices and educational institutions would remain closed in view of the tragedy, an official spokesperson said.
Relief and rehabilitation efforts have been mounted by the state government on a war footing, with all necessary administrative and police personnel on the job, said the CM.
The injured are undergoing emergency treatment in various government and private hospitals across Amritsar.
Meanwhile, additional police forces, led by the Punjab Police chief, have been rushed to the spot to control the situation.
Acting on the CM’s directives, Rehabilitation Minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria and Health Minister Brahm Mohindra have already rushed to Amritsar to supervise the rescue and relief operations.
The home secretary and the health secretary, along with the DGP (Law and Order), have also left for Amritsar.
Amarinder Singh has ordered all necessary administrative and police personnel to be mobilised on war footing to help the district administration tackle the situation. He has also directed the chief secretary to deploy all necessary administrative officials to ensure that the injured are immediately taken to hospitals across Amritsar. All private hospitals have also been asked to stay open, along with government hospitals, to provide urgent free treatment and care to the injured.
“The government will do everything possible to help the district authorities to tackle the unprecedented situation,” said the CM, adding that a thorough probe would be conducted into the incident, including how and why an effigy was allowed to be burnt near the railway track.