OD-LEVELCROSSING-SUSPEND

The East Coast Railway (ECoR) Saturday suspended two of its staff for failing to

close a level crossing gate while an express train was passing near Puri.

The railway authorities placed loco pilot Govind Sahu and assistant loco pilot Umesh Kumar under suspension

following an inquiry. After the incident came to light, Divisional Railway

Manager (DRM), Khurda Road, Braj Mohan Agarwal ordered setting up of a committee to inquire into the matter.

The level crossing gate near Matiapada in Puri district was left open at around 7.25 am on Saturday when

Puri-Haita Tapaswini Express chugged through the stretch. However, preliminary findings of the senior

officer-level committee found negligence on the part of the loco pilot and his assistant, an ECoR official said.

The inquiry also concluded that there was no problem with the gate signal.