EX-GRATIA PAYMENT FOLLOWING FIRE IN GOLDEN TAMPLE MAIL

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The Railways have paid ex-gratia amounting to Rs. 36 lakhs to the next of kin those of who died, and Rs. 30,000 to the grievously injured, in fire accident involving the 2903 Golden Temple Mail (Frontier Mail) near Ludhiana on May 15, 2003.

A statutory inquiry by the Commissioner of Railway Safety is still on. It has submitted a Preliminary Inquiry Report mentioning that the cause of the fire would be finalized on receipt of forensic report only, which is still awaited from the Punjab State Forensic Science Laboratory.