Protests regarding compensation have increased after the death of eight workers in the Pipalkoti Tunnel accident in Uttarakhand. Workers and locals gheraoed the THDC demanding Rs 1 crore for the families of the deceased and the education expenses of the children.
Jyortimath: The anger of workers and local people has increased after the landslide in the under construction tunnel of THDC located at Pipalkoti. Amidst the death of eight workers and two missing in the accident, the company has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the families of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh to the injured. The protesters have demanded more compensation from the company, calling it inadequate.
Displeasure among workers over compensation of Rs 5 lakh
Protest by workers and local people continues even four days after the landslide incident in the under-construction tunnel of Pipalkoti. So far eight workers have died in the accident, while the search for two people is still going on. The rescue team had taken out 19 workers safely.
After the accident, THDC announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the families of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh to the injured. There is resentment among local public representatives, workers and families of deceased workers regarding this compensation.
On Sunday, workers and local public representatives surrounded the company. The protesters said that the assistance of Rs 5 lakh is not enough for the families of the workers who lost their lives in such a major accident.
Demand for assistance of Rs 1 crore to the families of the deceased
The protesters placed before the THDC a demand for financial assistance of at least Rs 1 crore for the families of the deceased workers. He says that families who have lost their earning member will face financial crisis for a long time in future.
Rajendra Hatwal, former head of Pipalkoti Haat village, said that adequate financial assistance should be given to the families of the deceased workers and seriously injured workers. He demanded an assistance of Rs 1 crore for the families of the deceased.
The protesters have also demanded an assistance of at least Rs 5 lakh for the injured workers in general. He says that after the accident, the burden of treatment and family expenses of the injured workers has increased.
Demand to take responsibility for children's education
Along with compensation, the workers and local people have also raised demands for the future of the children of the deceased workers. He says that the death of the earning member of the family can have the biggest impact on the education of children.
For this reason, the protesters have demanded that the company should bear the expenses of the education of the children of the workers who died in the accident. He says that children's education should not be affected due to economic crisis in future.
Claim of water and debris coming before the accident
The protesting workers have also raised serious questions regarding the security arrangements of the tunnel. The workers claim that three-four days before the accident, the problem of water coming inside the under-construction tunnel and loose debris falling was already visible.
According to Ankush, Kuldeep, Rajat and Vijay Kumar, who worked in the tunnel, they had also informed the officials present there about these circumstances. The workers allege that despite getting information about the danger, effective steps were not taken in time.
Workers say that if work in the sensitive area had been stopped after complaints of water and debris coming in and security arrangements had been strengthened, the accident could have been avoided.
Questions raised on the security arrangements of the tunnel
After the accident, questions have been raised regarding the safety standards in the tunnel under construction. Workers say that in case of any possible danger during construction work, the safety of workers should be given priority.
At present, along with the rescue operation, it is also important to investigate the causes of the accident and aspects related to security arrangements. At the same time, workers and local people are demanding increasing the compensation amount, taking responsibility for the education of the children of the deceased and strengthening the security arrangements in the tunnel.