Odisha train accident: IRCTC walks the extra mile to facilitate insurance settlements

An IRCTC spokesperson said the two insurance companies — Liberty General Insurance Ltd. and SBI General Insurance Co. Ltd. — were advised not to reject any claim without the concurrence of the IRCTC

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has shared the details of victims who died or suffered injuries in the Odisha train accident on June 2 to two insurance companies to facilitate them to process claims.

Passengers of the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express and the Yashwantpur-Howrah Express who booked e-tickets on the IRCTC platform and availed the default online insurance option by paying ₹0.35 as premium would be benefited.

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Though the policy is a contractual obligation between the insurance company and the passenger and any claim/liability would be between the two, the IRCTC walked the extra mile by stepping in to facilitate the insurance settlements, railway sources said.

Confirming this to The Hindu on Monday, an IRCTC spokesperson said the two insurance companies — Liberty General Insurance Ltd. and SBI General Insurance Co. Ltd. — were advised not to reject any claim without the concurrence of the IRCTC. “We have provided all documents required to process the claims. Though opting for the insurance policy is made available by default, not all passengers avail the facility. Only 54% of the passengers who book e-tickets on IRCTC portal opt for travel insurance. The family of those who died in the accident would be entitled to get ₹10 lakh from the insurance company. Those who suffered injuries and were undergoing treatment would be compensated as per the policy conditions,” he said.

The IRCTC in its website says it only provides linkage to transact with insurance companies through its website to take insurance cover and, as such, assumes no responsibility or liability in respect of said policy, under any circumstances. The insurance scheme was applicable only for Indian nationals who have confirmed/RAC/partially confirmed tickets at the time of booking.