The Hindu : Front Page : 12 labourers buried alive

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 25, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Front Page

Front Page

12 labourers buried alive

S. Harpal Singh

RALLIVAGU DAM SITE (ADILABAD DT.): Twelve migrant labourers from Palamur (Mahabubnagar) were buried alive on Sunday when they were at work at the Rallivagu dam site, about 6 km from Mancherial town. The workers were levelling a trench at the ground level at a depth of about 15 feet when the mud on one side caved in on them.

The dead persons included eight women and a 12-year-old boy. Four of them were members of a single family, including a newly wed couple.

A trench was dug on three sides of a HT electricity pylon of APTransco to strengthen the base of the iron tower. The tower stands on the guide bank of Rallivagu and the 6-foot wide trench was dug around it.

The bodies were extricated with the help of earth-moving machinery in an operation that lasted about five hours.

The labourers belonged to a group of 40 Scheduled Caste persons from different villages of Devarakadra mandal of Mahabubnagar district. In charge Collector Vijay Kumar announced ex gratia of Rs. 2 lakh to each of the persons who died in the accident, including Rs. 50,000 from Apathbandhu funds.

Those killed in the accident have been identified as Kalla Venkatamma, 45, Kalla Rameshwari 18, Kalla Buran 20 and his wife Kalla Maheshwari, 18, from Rekulapalli village, Dandu Ashanna, 45, and Dandu Anil 12 from Rasala village, S. Balakrishnamma, 40, from Chinnachintakunta village, Undyala Nagamma 40 from Undyala, Rasala Manemma 18 from Maddur, Undyala Krishnaiah 24 from Undyala, Maddur Jyothi 30 and Kaddila Chittemma 40 from Maddur. Maddur Ramesh escaped with injuries.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page