Hyderabad, March 01: Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday demanded sanction, as a special case, of Rs.15 lakh as ex gratia to each Cheemakurthi mine accident victim’s family.
In a letter to Chief Minister K. Rosaiah, he said the accident was primarily due to the failure of authorities who allowed the management to carry on mining without following the safety protocol. He expressed shock that during a visit on Saturday, mining was on without leaving buffer zones.
Mr. Naidu asked the Chief Minister to requisition the services of experts from Singareni Collieries and mobilise machinery to clear the debris as fast as possible. Although the accident took place on February 25, rescue operations were not on at the expected pace, he added.
–Agencies