New Delhi, Aug 23: Railways minister Suresh Prabhu indicated on Wednesday that he's offered to resign after taking "moral responsibility" for two recent train accidents, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked "me to wait".
Prabhu said he's "extremely pained" by the two train derailments in Uttar Pradesh, one on Tuesday and the other last week.
In Tuesday's Kafiyat Express derailment, 70-plus passengers were reportedly injured. In the Utkal Express derailment on Saturday, over 22 people died and scores were injured.
"It has caused me deep anguish," tweeted Prabhu on Wednesday afternoon.
He added that he's devoted his "blood, sweat and tears" in his three years as Railways minister and undertaken several reforms.
India, Prabhu said, deserved a modern railway system.
He said that under PM Modi, there have been "unprecedented investments" in the Indian Railways.
On Sunday, the railway ministry sent on leave top officials including a member of the railway board for the Utkal Express derailment.
Stung by the accident and criticism of opposition parties, the ministry sent member (engineering) railway board Aditya Kumar Mittal, general manager (GM) Northern Railways R K Kulshrestha and divisional railway manager (DRM) R N Singh on leave till further orders.
Mittal was going to retire at the end of this month, but the strict action will send signal to top officials about zero tolerance towards accidents.
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