THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote a letter to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw demanding his attention on improving the safety standards of contract labourers engaged in railway work and to provide monetary compensation to families of four workers who died in accident at Shornur.
Four workers from Tamil Nadu including two women who were engaged in the track cleaning process by the Railway Contractor were killed after they were hit by the Thiruvananthapuram-bound Kerala Express on November 2.
This tragic incident is the second one after the earlier case of a temporary sanitation worker, who was swept away and drowned while cleaning the Amayizhanjan Canal at Thiruvananthapuram. The Chief Minister shot off the letter after the railway refused to take responsibility for the previous incident.
“These unfortunate incidents reveal that essential safety precautions are not being adhered to by the persons who engage workers on contract. I invite your kind immediate attention to the safety violations and request that suitable instructions may be issued to ensure the safety of the Contract staff. Considering the fact that those who lost their lives were engaged in manual labour temporarily, it may kindly be ensured that Railways pay adequate monetary compensation to their families,” said the Chief Minister.
Tamil Nadu government gave Rs 3 lakh each for the kin of the deceased while Southern Railway announced Rs 1 lakh exgratia each.
