Terming the incident, if true, a serious human rights’ violation, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Thursday issued a notice to the Telangana government over the death of 10 women MGNREGA workers when an embankment caved on them in the Narayanpet district.
Taking suo motu cognisance of a media report, the NHRC issued a notice to the the Chief Secretary of the State government asking for a detailed report about the incident as well as action taken against those responsible and the relief provided to victims’ families. The NHRC asked for the reply in four weeks.
“The Commission has observed that the contents of the news report, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of the right. Poor villagers, who are not skilled workers and need a job to earn their livelihood, do opt to work under MGNREGA scheme,” an NHRC statement read.
No precaution taken
The NHRC observed that the possibility of negligence on the part of the contractor and the department concerned cannot be ruled out. “It seems that neither any precaution was taken by the authorities nor any kind of help was available on the spot. Had some safety measures been taken, ten human lives could perhaps be saved,” the NHRC said.
According to the report, the 10 women were digging a canal when the embankment caved on them. Other workers tried to rescue them, but by the time they cleared the mud, they died.