Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday ordered a probe after 24 migrant workers were killed and several others injured in a road accident in Uttar Pradesh’s Auraiya district.
The migrant labourers, mostly from Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, were killed after the truck they were travelling in collided with another vehicle early on Saturday.
The trailer truck, carrying around 50 migrant labourers, was coming from Rajasthan when it collided with a van coming from Delhi in Auraiya district’s Mihauli area, reports said.
“The death of migrant workers/workers in a road accident in Auraiya district is unfortunate and sad. My condolences to the bereaved families of the dead,” Adityanath tweeted.
“Instructions have also been given to provide all possible relief to the victims, to provide proper treatment to the injured and to promptly investigate the accident,” he added.
Adityanath had on Friday asked state officials to set up teams in every police station area to ensure that no migrant worker travels on foot or bike or in any unsafe mode in Uttar Pradesh.
The directive came amid rising cases of migrants losing their lives in road accidents while walking back home.
The CM said food and water should be provided to the migrants as soon as they enter the state and added that they should be medically screened. Arrangements for a vehicle to send them to their respective destinations should be made if they are found fit, Adityanath told officials.
He said the state government was sensitive towards the problems of migrant labourers and all efforts must be made to ensure that workers reach their destination. He said no laxity in this regard would be tolerated.
He said director generals of police (DGPs) of all states should be contacted and a request made to them to ensure that no migrant labourer travels by trucks or any other unsafe vehicle, failing which strict action would be taken against those ferrying them in unsafe vehicles.
The chief minister said buses should be arranged to carry those reaching the state by train from different states to carry them home. In case state-run buses are not available, private vehicles should be deployed for the migrant labourers, he said.
He said drivers of the buses should also be given protective equipment.
News Source: Hindustan Times