Kerala - Kochi   

Minister orders strict vigil at quarries

KOCHI: Forests Minister Benoy Viswom has asked Muvattupuzha Revenue Divisional Officer P.K. Nalan to get work stopped at the quarry at Oorakkad in Kizhakkambalam panchayat limits and keep a strict vigil on the functioning of other local quarries.

He visited the quarry where one worker was killed and three others were injured in an accident on Friday.

Mr. Nalan was asked to take care of the hospitalisation of the injured workers. The Minister said the next Cabinet meeting would decide on the compensation for the victims.

He said safety at quarries in Ernakulam district would be shored up after consultations with trade union leaders, elected representatives and officials.

The search for possible missing persons at the quarry continued late into the afternoon, as local people wanted the authorities to continue the operation.

The residents suspected that more workers were trapped, as they discovered the deceased Thankachan K.S. crushed under a rock, though the quarry staff had said that no one was trapped. The staff had initially prevented them from entering the quarry.

No one could give the exact number of workers engaged in quarrying and related tasks. Some of the tasks were carried out on a piecemeal basis by different contractors. There were several Oriya and Bihari workers, whose numbers, names and other details were not available. The owner of the quarry and work supervisors fled.

Kizhakkambalam panchayat president Anukmar told The Hindu that he was 99 per cent certain that no one was trapped, but he wanted the search to go on because local people insisted on it.

Biju, one of the three injured workers, told The Hindu that there were nine workers on the site when the landslip occurred. He ruled out the possibility of more people being trapped as most workers had gone for tea at the time of the accident. Though many from Orissa and Bihar worked in loading the crushed stones onto lorries, there was no one on the site when the accident occurred.

The large quarry, which sometimes employs scores of people in hazardous tasks, lacked even minimum emergency procedures. No security precautions were in place.

Local people said they rushed to the quarry in small groups when an ambulance was found leaving its compound. The company staff blocked their entry and hence they had to force their way in. They alerted the panchayat president, the police and the Fire and Rescue Services. A large number of police personnel, and fire services personnel and officials camped on the site until evening.

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