New Delhi station stampede: Government says Rs 2.01 crore paid to 33 affected families

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a written response to a question in Lok Sabha.
The stampede happened at the New Delhi Railway station in the evening of February 15 amid a huge rush of devotees headed to the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj.
In his response in Parliament, Vaishnaw did not give the number of the deceased and the injured, but after the incident officials had said the stampede killed 18 people and left 15 injured.
Vaishnaw said a high-level inquiry has been ordered into the incident.
On other questions by members on the stampede and amenities created for devotees during the Maha Kumbh Mela, the railway minister gave a detailed response.

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«Infrastructure improvement/augmentation/capacity enhancement works in Prayagraj area of more than Rs 5,000 crore have been completed,» he said giving details about the doubling of lines, construction of road under- and over-bridges among others.
According to the railway minister, more than 17,300 trains were operated during the Maha Kumbh period — January 13 to February 28 — and they carried 4.24 crore passengers.
«This includes more than 3,000 special trains, a significant increase from the 694 trains operated during the 2019 Kumbh. For the first time, Ring Rail services connecting key religious sites like Ayodhya, Varanasi, and Chitrakoot were operated on a daily basis during the Mela,» Vaishnaw said.
He said Prayagraj station underwent major infrastructure improvement including on circulating area, parking spaces, Divyangjan facilities, signages, platform surfacing, construction of drinking water booths, Ashray Kendras, toilets, widening of approach roads, development of second entries and construction of foot over bridges.
Talking about the