Coromandel Express tragedy: LIC simplifies claim settlement ...
Coromandel Express accident: Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) announced on Saturday that it is relaxing the claim settlement process for the victims of the Balasore train incident. LIC chairman Siddhartha Mohanty announced several relaxation measures in a statement.
LIC announced many concessions to lessen the trials and tribulations of the claimants of LIC policies as well as the claimants of the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana. LIC said a list of casualties published by the Railways, police or any state or Central authorities will be accepted as proof of death in place of registered death certificates.
The national insurer has also set up a special help desk and a call centre number (022-68276827) at divisional and branch levels to respond to claim-related queries and assist claimants. The LIC statement said that all efforts will be taken to ensure that claimants are reached out and claim settlement is expedited.
Mohanty also expressed his condolences at the loss of lives in the horrific Coromandel Expresss tragedy. He said in the statement: "We are deeply saddened by the tragic train accident in Balasore, Odisha on Friday. LIC is committed to supporting those affected and will expedite claim settlements to provide financial relief".
Coromandel Express train accident in Balasore
The train accident involving three trains-- Coromandel Express, SMVT Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and a goods train-- took place near the Bahanga Bazar station in Odisha's Balasore district, around 250 km south of Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubhaneswar, at around 7 pm on Friday.
The incident has claimed 288 lives so far and has left over 1,100 people injured. The Odisha train accident is one of the worst train accidents in India, as per official records. Other horrific train mishaps in India include the 1981 Bihar Rail accident which killed at least 800 people, 1995 Firozabad train accident that claimed at 350 lives, 1999 Gaisal train accident in West Bengal that claimed the lives of nearly 300 people, 2005 Velugonda train accident which killed nearly 100 people, and 1988 Peruman train mishap in Kerala which killed at least 106 people.
Also read: Odisha train crash due to criminal neglect of safety protocols in signalling, says railway expert
Also read: Odisha train accident: ‘No one will be spared,’ says PM Modi vowing stringent action and support for victims
