West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose on Friday visited Malda district to meet the families of those who died in the Mizoram railway bridge collapse.
“The main purpose is to visit the families of the Bengali migrant labourers who lost their life at worksites in Mizoram. Hon’ble Governor would also visit farmers in the fields, mulberry and mango farms. He may also interact with women SHG livelihood groups,” a press communique from Raj Bhavan said. The Governor spoke to the family members who conveyed their grievances to him.
As many as 23 workers who lost their lives in the tragedy are from Malda district. Thirteen of the deceased are from Chouduar village of the district. Six of the dead were from a single family.
“Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has sanctioned ₹10,00,000 for the families of the deceased, ₹2,00,000 for the seriously injured and ₹50,000 for minor injuries,” the Governor said. Mr. Bose also handed over compensation cheques to the victims.
This is not the first time that the Governor has met family members of deceased migrant workers from the State who have died in accidents in other States. In June this year, Mr. Bose had visited South 24 Parganas and met the kin of migrant workers killed in the Odisha train tragedy. As many as 103 of those killed in the train mishap were from West Bengal.
Political parties in the Opposition said that the West Bengal government should also offer compensation as the workers were forced to go to other States as there were “no jobs in West Bengal”.
State Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said that the Governor’s visit was on humanitarian grounds. Mr. Bhattacharya said that West Bengal had become a State of migrant workers and wherever there was a tragedy the workers from the State were among the deceased. Indian Secular Front MLA Nawshad Siddique said that the West Bengal government had failed to create jobs in the State.
