Family members of the migrant workers of West Bengal’s Malda, who were killed after an under-construction railway bridge collapsed in Mizoram are still awaiting the bodies of their near and dear ones, days after the incident.
The bridge under construction near Aizawl collapsed on Wednesday, killing 22 workers and injuring three. One labourer is still missing and search operations are underway to trace him. “We just cannot believe this... our lives are shattered. Our future is completely uncertain now... We request the administration to help us by giving jobs and necessary compensation,” Mahidur Rahaman, a family member told PTI. Six of his family members had gone to Mizoram for work around 40 days ago.
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Most of the victims are from Pukuria, English Bazar and Manikchak in Malda district, a senior official said. Hasina Khaty, whose husband Saidur Rahaman was engaged as a labourer in the railway bridge project, said she can’t take her eyes off a selfie he had sent on the morning of the fateful day. “The day before the incident, my husband had told me not to call him due to work pressure, so our two daughters asked him to send a photograph. He sent a selfie with the bridge in the background on Wednesday morning, which will be a lasting memory for us now,” Hasina said.
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Many others wanted assurance that they would be able to see the bodies of their loved ones. “We want the state government to ensure that the bodies of our beloved family members are brought back properly and given due respect. The least we could do is this,” said Sultan Ali, who lost his brother in the incident.
The Railways has said the accident took place due to the collapse of a gantry, which was being launched on the under-construction bridge over the Kurung river. Twenty-six workers were present at the time of the incident. “The North East Frontier Railway (NFR) has made arrangements for the bodies to be transported to their home towns in separate ambulances. Senior railway officials will be present with the family members of the deceased when the ambulances reach their homes,” Divisional Railway Manager (Malda) Vikash Chaube told reporters.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has also declared a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the kin of the workers, and an ex gratia of Rs 50,000 for those who suffered minor injuries.
West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose left for Malda on Friday morning where he would be meeting family members of the workers from the district killed in the railway bridge collapse in Mizoram.
