Everyone is scared -- Mamata

Everyone is scared -- Mamata
SANTANU BANERJEE

CALCUTTA, JULY 18: ``Everyone is scared after this accident,'' Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said, echoing the sentiments of relatives, who arrived with her with 12 bodies an hour after midnight on Monday.

She was replying to reporters here this afternoon, who was queried on whether the terrible Patna air-mishap scared her. Looking gloomy, she bemoaned the `bad conditions' of the `old aircraft' in the eastern region.

Mamata arrived here on the 1.00 am flight with 12 bodies of the plane-crash victims and their relatives yesterday amidst heart-rending scenes. While none came from the State Government's side, Mamata consoled the relatives trying to come to terms with the tragedy. As the socked and sobbing relatives carried the coffins home, the gloom spread in the lobby of the airport.

Standing alone in the airport lobby, Rupa Dey, who arrived with the coffin of her husband Sandip Dey, broke down on not seeing any familiar face. It was left to Mamata to quietly step in to make arrangements for her departure home.

Still somewhat saddened, the Trinamool Congress leader told reporters categorically that the ``Eastern region has old aircraft whose conditions are bad. The new ones are not available.''

Taking care to avoid any controversy, she declined to say if she proposed to take up the issue in the next Cabinet meeting.

``Civil Aviation Ministry is not my department,'' she told reporters and ``I cannot take up any issue just like that.'' However, indicating that she was not happy with the present state of affairs, she said: ``But we have to take the issue of passengers' safety very seriously and also the issue of old aircraft in the eastern region.'' Without elaborating further, she said: ``I also spoke to Laloo Prasad Yadav.''

``In my department, we are trying to technically upgrade the railway,'' she said, hinting on the need for phasing out of old aircraft in time.

In another major incident, the State Government faced the flak from the Opposition in the Assembly on the issue that none from the state administration had gone to the airport to receive the family-members of the plane-crash victims. Congress deputy CLP leader Saugato Ray demanded the resignation of the Union Civil Aviation Minister.