New Delhi: Home Minister P Chidambaram`s
office today clarified that his remarks on the Sainthia
railway accident were not a criticism of the Railway
Ministry.
A statement issued by his office said one of the
television channels was "mischievously" reporting the
minister`s statement as a criticism of the Railway Ministry.
Some Left parties also seem to have deliberately
misinterpreted the statement, it said adding "this statement
is being issued to clarify the matter".
The statement referred to Chidambaram`s speech at a
meeting of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)
here this morning in which he had referred to the time taken
to despatch relief teams for rescue and relief operations
following Monday`s train accident.
Referring to the time taken by two of these teams to
reach the accident site, the Minister said ways must be found
to respond more quickly in case of a disaster. In that
context, he suggested that NDMA should examine whether it can
use helicopters and small aircraft.
PTI
