Gangeswar Mal, an NTPC loco pilot killed in a head-on collision between two goods trains in Jharkhand’s Sahebganj district, was on his final trip before retirement on April 1.
His family, awaiting a retirement dinner together, is now left in mourning.
Mal’s family members who live in his Jiaganj residence in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district said he had promised to join them for dinner upon his return.
His daughter said that April 1 was his last working day, after which he had planned to spend quality time with his wife, son, and daughter.
“We have heard baba (father) was waiting at a signal point while returning when another goods train engine from the opposite side hit his loco head-on,” she said.
The accident, which occurred around 3 am near Bhognadih in the Barhait police station area on Tuesday, also resulted in the death of another loco pilot and injuries to four others. The goods trains, operated by NTPC, were transporting coal to the corporation’s thermal power plant in Farakka.
“The drivers of both the goods trains were killed in the head-on collision,” Sub-Divisional Police Officer of Sahebganj Kishore Tirkey said.
Eastern Railway spokesperson Kausik Mitra clarified that the incident involved NTPC’s infrastructure.
“The goods trains and the tracks belong to the NTPC. It has nothing to do with the Indian Railways,” Mitra had stated.
The NTPC Lalmatia MGR line, where the accident occurred, connects NTPC’s Kahalgaon Super Thermal Power Station in Bihar to the Farakka Power Plant in West Bengal.
As Mal’s body is being brought back from Jharkhand by his family members and neighbours, his daughter lamented: “Our world came crashing down.”
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