Nine women farm workers killed in Nalkonda of Telangana

NALGONDA: Nine women farm workers were killed when the tractor on which they were travelling fell into the Akkampally Balancing Reservoir canal at Vaddipatla village in the district.  They all belonged to Padamathi thanda in the same mandal.  The tractor was carrying 24 women workers and a lone man  Hanuma.  They were going to Pulicharla village in the neighbouring Peddavoora mandal for work.  Fifteen others have been rescued.

The vehicle veered off the road, overturned and fell into the canal as the driver Buchireddy lost control of the vehicle.  It is learnt that the tractor driver was speaking over the mobile phone while driving, which led to the mishap. An inquiry was ordered into the incident.

The driver fled the spot while locals and Hanuma rescued 15 others. Police rushed to the spot and took up rescue operations. Initially, rescue workers could find only eight bodies and they suspected the other body might have been washed away. However, after the tractor was retrieved from the waters, they found the ninth body too.The bodies were shifted to Devarakonda government hospital for postmortem.

According to police, the deceased have been identified as Sona (70), Jija (65), Bhali (30), Kheli (50), Khamsali (50), Veeri (55) Bharathi (35), Sunitha (30) and Ramavath Baju (48).

For greener pastures?

Until recently, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) was being implemented in the Padamati tanda. However, on the request of inhabitants of the tanda, officials concerned had stopped the works for two weeks.

Of the 500 people living in Padamati tanda,  around 300 have enrolled for NREGS works. The labourers would earn anywhere between `130 and `145 on a daily basis depending on the works taken up by them. Since most of the labourers had cultivated cotton, they had requested the NREGS officials to stop the work for two weeks so that they could tend to their cotton fields. Responding to the request, the officials had stopped the works, which would have resumed from Monday, after a two-week gap. However, with most of the labourers getting done with the the cotton-related works by Thursday itself, they were free.

Meanwhile, leader of the labourer group of the tanda, Sapavath Bhujji, convinced some of the women labourers to take up onion collecting work at Pulicharla mandal. He offered them more money than what was being paid under NREGS. Around 24 NREGS women labourers agreed to the deal and left for Pulicharla on a tractor on the fateful day when the acident claimed nine lives.

Speaking to Express, Padamati tanda NREGS field officer M Devaiah said: “On Thursday, I informed the labourers that the works will begin from Monday and requested them to be available at the thanda. However, the women labourers had taken up another work at Pulicharla in order to earn more money. They had never gone to Pulicharla earlier. Namapuram and Peddhagattu labourers were the ones who would regularly attended the works at Pulicharla.”

Courage under fire: 25-year-old Hanuma saves 14 lives

Nalgonda: Ramavath Hanuma (25), a Padamati resident, was travelling on the same tractor that fell in the canal on Friday. However, his valour became the reason of existence of 14 women from the canal. The 25-year-old, a priest at Hanuman temple in the tanda, was going with the women workers to Pulicharla for work. When the tractor overturned and fell into the canal, he managed to come out safely from the tractor. But instead of panicking and leaving the spot, he went ahead and saved as many as 14 women from drowning. AN injured Hanuma was later shifted to the Devarakonda government hospital. The tractor driver Bhuchi Reddy, who also reportedly rescued a woman, However, out of fear, he escaped when other villagers reached the spot.

Energy Min announces Rs 2 lakh ex gratia for kin of the deceased

State Energy minister G Jagadhish Reddy announced `2 lakh compensation to the kin of the deceased. The Minister G Jagadhish Reddy visited the spot and inquired about the incident. He expressed condolence and spoke to the families of the deceased. While speaking to mediapersons, the minister said that the State government will take necessary steps to protect the kin of deceased and directed officials concerned to sanction `10,000 to each family for funeral. He also said that the government would bear the education expenditure for the kin of the deceased.