A Dalapchand of Kalimpong lady dies on board a Shramik Special train on the way from Delhi to NJP

KalimNews and agencies, 28 may 2020, Kalimpong: One 51 year old lady of Kalimpong died on her way to NJP from Delhi travelling in a Shramik Special Express train that left Delhi on 27 May.The woman died onboard a Shramik Special train en route to New Jalpaiguri from New Delhi on May 27, 2020. 

500 persons of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration had boarded the Shramik Special train along with others of West Bengal and other areas which was supposed to travel upto New Coochbehar. 

While the train was crossing Uttar Pradesh, Kipa Sherpa of Dalapchand near Kalimpong fell ill and her condition worsened. Kipa was returning Kalimpong with her two daughters, son-in-law and a grand son. Her son-in-law Ranjit travelling with her alleged that he called for helpline but immediate help could not be received as the train was moving and she died before the train reached Etawah 341 km from New Delhi. 

After informing the railway officials their train was stopped at Etawah and the family was dropped at about 11 pm.The body was received by the Etawah police, district health officials and block, sub divisional and district administrative officers along with railway and municipality officials and brought to Etawah hospital. 

Gorkhaland Territorial Administration was in contact with the Uttar Pradesh administration for receiving the dead body from Uttar Pradesh. 

Anit Thapa, GTA chairman has expressed his deep sorrow on the death and said that Jitendra Bahadur Singh, District magistrate of Etawah has been contacted and contact is also made with the Sherpa family members. 

It is reported that her postmortem was done today along with swab test for Covid-19. CDO Raja Ganapati R said that Etawah district administration and police has provided an ambulance for the dead body and another vehicle for the family members and they are on the way to Siliguri. 

Her actual cause of death is not yet known. They will be received by GTA and sent to the bereaved fanily. 

GTA has declared a compensation of Ruppes one lakh to the family members of the dead Sherpa, told Anit Thapa.

At least nine deaths on-board migrant special trains were reported during this week, officials said, putting the Railways in the dock over its handling of these non-AC trains. 

The national transporter said most of the people who died had pre-existing health conditions. 

The death of 35-year-old Uresh Khatoon shook the conscience of the nation and left the Railways scrambling for an explanation. Her toddler's vain attempt to wake up her from the eternal sleep on a platform in Bihar's Muzaffarpur was captured in a moving video that went viral on social media Wednesday, opening the floodgates of criticism for the Railways. The Railways attributed her death to a recent heart surgery, also corroborated by her son.

Another death reported from Muzaffarpur was that of four-and-a-half-year-old son of a migrant from Bihar based in Delhi. The boy died at the railway station here on arrival by a ''Shramik Special'' train, while his father desperately hunted for some milk he believed would have saved his child. While his father said he died of heat, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Railway, Ramakant Upadhyay, claimed the boy was ailing for some time and had died before the train reached Muzaffarpur station. 

In the state's Danapur, the body of 70-year-old Basisth Mahato, a heart patient, was taken out of the Mumbai-Darbhanga Shramik Special train. Mahto was returning with his family after treatment in Mumbai and died between Maihar and Satna, the Railways said. 

Also, a 58-year-old migrant worker died on-board the Surat-Hajipur Shramik special train on Tuesday evening, Superintendent of Police, Devendra Nath, said. He has been identified as Bhushan Singh of Saran district in Bihar. In Uttar Pradesh, a migrant train from Mumbai reached Manduadih, Varanasi, on Wednesday with two dead passengers -- physically challenged Dashrath Prajapati (30), and 63-year-old Ram Ratan Gaud. The Railways said while Prajapati was suffering from a kidney disease, Gaud had "many ailments". 

The body of Sheikh Salim, 45, a resident of Bahraich (UP) was found aboard the Vapi-Deen Dayal Upadhayay Junction Shramik Special train when it reached Sagar station. 

A 23-year-old Naga girl, who boarded the train from Gurugram in Haryana on Friday to return to Nagaland passed away around midnight. She was a liver patient under medication and was advised not to travel. But one doctor certified her for the travel and unfortunately she passed away around midnight. Nchinelieu Zeliang, daughter of Heidui Disuang was a resident of Beisumpuikam village under Peren district. 

Travelling migrant workers have complained of lack of food and water on-board these special trains and also alleged they are not running on time and are being diverted "at will". The Railways has, however, maintained that these trains are running on "pre-scheduled rationalised routes". 

Some trains which should have taken 24 hours to reach to their destinations, arrived in over two days, according to reports, leaving the passengers on-board hungry and desperate.It is discovered that those who died are old sick people and chronic disease patients, who had actually gone to big cities for medical treatment and could come back only after the Railways started these Shramik Special trains," said a spokesperson for the Railways.