DHARMAPURI: Tourism minister R Rajendran on Friday handed over solatium of Rs 10 lakh to each of the two workers who died and and Rs 2 lakh each to the five injured after a coal bunker in the Mettur thermal power plant collapsed trapping a group of contract workers under the debris on Thursday evening.
Fire and rescue services personnel rescued five workers alive from the debris while P Venkatesh (50) and Palanisami(28) were found dead five hours after the accident.
On Friday, family members of the deceased refused to accept the bodies and demanded government jobs. Though officials held talks with the families, the protest continued for over seven hours.
Meanwhile, minister Rajendran and Salem collector Brindha Devi visited the five injured workers in hospital and inquired about their health. The minister handed over cheque for Rs 2 lakh to each of them.
Later, they visited the family members of the deceased and handed over cheque for Rs 10 lakh from the CM General Relief Fund and held talks with the family members after which they gave up on the protest.
The private firm that recruited Venkatesan and Palaniswami gave solatium Rs 7.5 lakh each to their families. The DMK provided Rs 1 lakh each to families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each to the injured.