Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has sent a letter to the Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnav seeking adequate compensation to families of four sanitation workers who died after being hit by the Thiruvananthapuram bound Kerala Express. The incident happened on November 2 when the workers who were employed in rag picking from tracks were hit by the train. Three workers were run over and one worker jumped into the river. The body of the worker who went missing in the river was retrieved on Sunday evening.
Pinarayi Vijayan pointed out that the sanitation workers had not got any training or imparted awareness on safe working near Railway tracks. In his letter, he also recalled the case of Joy, a temporary sanitation worker who died while cleaning the Amayizhanjan canal in Thiruvananthapuram. These unfortunate incidents reveal that essential safety precautions were not being adhered to by the persons who engage workers on contract, Pinarayi Vijayan noted in the letter. He also drew the attention of the Railways Minister to safety violations and requested him to issue suitable instructions to ensure safety of the contract staff.
According to the statement issued by the Railways, upon completion of the work, a group of about 10 labourers took the railway bridge instead of using the road to cross over the other side to reach the station without informing the railway officials and without the permission of Railway Personnel. " Since no railway work was planned on the bridge on the day, no railway protection was available on the bridge. Unfortunately, four individuals were hit by a train. At the same time Train no:12626 Kerala Express also entered the bridge. Unfortunately, at that time 3 workers were run over and 1 worker jumped into the river, " the statement read.
The Railways said in the release that action for terminating the contract was initiated and a criminal case was lodged against the contractor for failing to ensure the safety of the workers about the incoming trains. The Railways also announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 1 lakh to the families of the deceased workers.