Karnataka's Vijayapura tragedy: Rs 7 lakh announced for victim's family

Karnataka Minister MB Patil on Tuesday said that a compensation of Rs 7 lakh will be given to each of the families of the seven workers who lost their lives in the mishap at the Rajaguru Jowar Processing Unit located in Aliadad in Vijayapura district.

Informing that all seven deceased workers were from the state of Bihar, he stated that those injured in the incident would receive Rs 50,000 each.

The workers were trapped under the collapsed pillars of an overloaded tanker at the Jowar processing unit on Monday late night.

Upon learning about the incident, MB Patil, who was in Belagavi to attend the legislative assembly session, rushed to the spot and supervised the rescue operations till midnight. Subsequently, he visited the incident site Tuesday morning to oversee the operations before going to the district hospital to inquire about the status of the injured, a release said.

He also assured that the district administration will facilitate sending the bodies to their respective places and mentioned that the bodies will be airlifted either from Belagavi Airport or Kalaburgi Airport.

Out of the Rs 7 lakh compensation for each family of the deceased workers, Rs 5 lakh each will be provided by the owner of the unit, and Rs 2 lakh each will be given by the government of Karnataka, explained Patil.

He further stated that an FIR has been lodged about the incident and an inquiry will be conducted following the due procedure.

As the Minister for Large and Medium Industries, he said that he would direct the concerned officials to issue a circular to all industries in the state to ensure compliance with safety measures.