Worker falls to death, family seeks proper compensation

Vadodara: The death of a 33-year-old worker at Makarpura GIDC led to ruckus at the Vadodara district collectorate on Sunday.
Demanding justice for the victim, a large number of people, along with relatives of the deceased, thronged the collectorate demanding proper compensation to the family members.
The crowd brought the body of the victim – Mahesh Parmar – to the collectorate and refused to cremate it, demanding that the district collector intervene and direct the owner of the private firm to ensure that the family members of the deceased get proper compensation.
Parmar, a resident of Vijaywadi area in Pratapnagar near Danteshwar, had fallen down from 70 feet height while working at Polymechplast Limited in Makarpura GIDC.
The deceased’s father Bhailal Parmar told media persons that the company had not provided any safety equipment to his son.
Bhailal, who had lost his first son in 2014, said that Mahesh was the sole bread-earner for the family that comprised his parents, wife and two kids.
“Since he used to earn Rs 30,000 a month, the company should provide at least Rs 60 lakh compensation. We will not move his body outside the collectorate and neither cremate it till we get a written assurance from the company or the district collector calls the owner of the firm assuring us proper compensation,” he said.
During the day, even top police officers tried to calm down the family members, relatives and their supporters who refused to relent till their demands were met.
Other family members alleged that even as Mahesh had met with the accident around 1.30pm on Saturday, the company had failed to inform the family on time. “It was after four hours that we were informed that he had met with an accident and had been taken to SSG Hospital. When we reached SSG Hospital, he had already died,” said deceased’ sister.
Later, a couple of relatives had also reached Manjalpur police station where an HR official of the firm had offered them some compensation.
“But the compensation amount offered by the firm was not enough according to rules. We have decided to register an FIR against the company,” said another relative.