Ex gratia for Odia victims of AP blast

BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday announced an ex gratia payment of `2 lakh to the family of each of the three Odia labourers who were killed in a blast at a granite quarry in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh.

Expressing grief over death of the labourers, the CM said Odisha Government would bear the cost of treatment of the three injured workers from the State. Bodies of the three labourers will reach Rambha in Ganjam district on Monday night from Kurnool.

Of the 15 persons killed in the blast, three have been identified as hailing from Odisha. State Labour department officials maintained that the number of Odia labourers killed in the mishap may increase after identification of all the bodies.

The State Government had sent a two-member fact-finding team, comprising District Labour Welfare Officer and Rural Labour Inspector of Ganjam, to Kurnool. Earlier, the Andhra Pradesh Government had announced an ex gratia of `10 lakh each to the families of the deceased. Nearly 30 labourers were working in the quarry when the blast took place on Friday night.