The office of the additional divisional railway manager (ADRM) in New Jalpaiguri (NJP) was the hub of activities on Wednesday.

Jank Kumar Garg, the chief commissioner of railway safety (CCRS) of Northeast Frontier Circle, conducted hearings and recorded statements of railway employees in connection with the train accident which occurred near the Rangapani station in Darjeeling district on Monday morning.

Around 8.55 am on Monday, a goods train dashed into the rear end of the Sealdah-bound Kanchenjunga Express. Ten people, including three railway employees, died in the accident.

Since Wednesday morning, alacrity was evident among employees and the personnel of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) on the premises of the ADRM’s office.

The RPF was deployed to ensure that the hearing, a part of the inquiry, is carried out in a smooth manner.

As the clock ticked, employees, who were called to make their depositions, started arriving one after another. Among them was the
station manager of Rangapani station, who had handed over the T/A 912 forms to loco
pilots of both trains, as the
automatic signalling system was not working in the
section.

Also, three gatemen, posted at the level crossings near the accident site, and the driver of Kanchanjunga Express, reached the office.

They were seen enrolling their names in a register and waiting for their turn to appear before Garg.

While a few were fiddling with their cell phones, others were sitting silently or standing nearby.

There was an eerie silence across the campus, which broke with the announcement made by the railways.

“All the employees are being asked to wear their identity cards,” was the short announcement.

The process continued throughout the day during which statements were recorded and various documents were collected.

“The communication between drivers, guards, gatemen, station managers and others ahead and after the mishap would be collated and verified,” said a source.

The CCRS, sources said, will continue the inquiry for some more days to collect all necessary details. He would then submit his report.

“Today, only railway employees attended the inquiry. Though we have mentioned that anybody can come and get his statement recorded, no one from the general public turned up,” said an official of the NFR.

Trains rescheduled

Five long-distance trains from north Bengal and the Northeast for Wednesday and Thursday were rescheduled.

The trains include the Calcutta-bound Padatik Express and Saraighat Express, the New Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express and a special train to Secunderabad from Dibrugarh.