Srirampur: SCCL Mine Workers Union Demands 1 Crore Compensation After Roof Collapse Kills 4

Mancherial: Four workerswere killed after a roof in a coal mine project at the Srirampur area of the State-owned Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) collapsed on them in the Mancherial district of Telangana on Wednesday.

The incident occurred at around 10:40 am in the morning while roof-stitching was on. As per reports, a portion of the roof fell on the four workers, burying them under the debris and resulting in their death. The workers had gone down to build four roofs which are drilled with roof bolters and stretched with iron rope to protect the roof from collapsing. In the process, a large rock which was 2 mts wide, 6 mts long, and 2 mts in thickness suddenly fell on them. The rock which weighed several tonnes fell on them, leaving them with no chance of escape or survival. All four workers were crushed under the rubble and died on the spot. The deceased have been identified as Beera Lachaiah(60), Krishna Reddy (58), Satya Narsimha Raju (32) and Rinka Chandrasekhar(29).

SCCL Chairman and managing director N Sridhar conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families. He also ordered an inquiry into the incident and directed the officials concerned to submit a report.

Meanwhile, a group of workers and union leaders prevented the bodies from being sent to the postmortem after they were taken out. The bodies were placed in the mine area and the leaders protested against the SCCL management. AITUC general secretary V Sitaramaiah, BMS president Yadagiri Sattayya, CITU secretary Manda Narasimha, and  INTUC vice-president J Shankar Rao expressed their support with the workers' agitation.

They demanded an additional compensation of Rs 1 crore to the families of the deceased, that the company should pay for the higher education of their children, provide corporate medical treatment, and all other compensation due from the company as soon as possible. The workers sat in protest and stated that the bodies would not be moved until the Chief Minister or State Ministers came to the area and give them the assurance that their demands be met. The regular compensation given by the  SCCL was not enough they said considering the fact that they work under highly dangerous and life-threatening conditions, they said.

Along with them, TBGKS general secretary Miryala Raji Reddy and former president Kangarla Mallayya strongly condemned the incident. They demanded that strict action be taken against the officers responsible for the accident. The union members also warned that if the Government doesn't heed their demands they would stage a protest on the 17th of this month.

Manchiryal ACP Akhil Mahajan and ACP Narender forcibly shifted the bodies to Manchiryal Government Hospital for postmortem while workers and trade union leaders raised concerns over other demands of exgratia. There was a heated argument between the police and the leaders on this occasion. The workers finally relented and stopped the protest after the SCCL management announced employment to one eligible member of the family of each of the deceased and that there was a possibility of providing ex-gratia of Rs one crore.

Telangana Boggu Ghani Karimka Sangham  (TBGKS)  honorary president and MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha expressed her sympathies to the families of the deceased workers and assured them of all support from the Government.

మంచిర్యాలలోని శ్రీరాంపూర్ ఏరియా ఎస్ఆర్పీ-3 సింగరేణి బొగ్గు గనిలో పై కప్పు కూలి నలుగురు కార్మికులు మరణించడం తీవ్ర దిగ్భ్రాంతి కలిగించింది. మృతి చెందిన కార్మికుల కుటుంబాలకు నా ప్రగాఢ సానుభూతి. కార్మిక కుటుంబాలకు ప్రభుత్వం తరపున అన్ని రకాలుగా అండగా నిలుస్తాము.

— Kavitha Kalvakuntla (@RaoKavitha) November 10, 2021

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