CHENNAI: Three years after a migrant worker was killed in an accident in a construction site on Old Mahabalipuram Road, his family members are still unable to claim any compensation since they don’t know who is the actual owner of the building and should pay. As the Kelambakkam police have made little effort besides filing an FIR for a case of death due to “falling down”, the family is left clueless about who is actually expected to pay the relief amount.
The deceased worker, A Sanjeev, 32 years old at the time of death in August 2012, has left two children behind, aged 7 and 14. His wife, living in the backward Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh, and with no other source of income, is surviving on the little help she gets from her relatives.
The construction site where Sanjeev lost his life is a multi-storey residential apartment complex located at Padur on the Old Mahabalipuram Road.
“He fell down when engaged in the multi-storey construction site and died of severe head injuries. That was on October 18, 2012. When we approached the owner of the land, he directed us to the office of the builder. But the builder did not give us a proper reply,” says Damodharan, a relative of the deceased who is also a construction worker in Chennai.
For L T I Sarojini, wife of Sanjeev, it is almost next to impossible to travel nearly 1,000 kilometres to Chennai with her two children to fight for the compensation. In the last three years, she managed to come to Chennai twice and petitioned the Kancheepuram collector, labour department officials and the Superintendent of police.
“Both the owner of the building, Gem Grove, Vision India Real Estate and the builder Sabari Construction, have not paid the compensation for the death of my husband.Each of them is asking us approach others. So kindly find out the actual owner of the building and help us get the compensation,” read one of the petitions recently filed by Sarojini.”Three years have passed, but no investigation has taken place into the death. This is despite the petitions filed by the victim’s family. In case of unnatural deaths, the tahsildar has to investigate and file a report.The labour department also has powers to investigate. But nothing has happened so far. Even if we are to move the courts seeking compensation, there is no clarity as to who has to be sued. The builders generally take insurance cover for such mega projects. At least they must have made efforts to claim compensation for the worker from the insurance company,” says advocate V S Suresh Souli, counsel of the victim.