CM Pinarayi Vijayan demands compensation for contract workers killed in railway accident

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a letter to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has called for immediate compensation for the families of four contract workers who lost their lives after being struck by a train at Shornur railway station. The deceased, all from Tamil Nadu and including two women, were employed to clean the tracks when the accident occurred.

Chief Minister Vijayan highlighted what he described as alarming negligence on the part of railway authorities, who he claims failed to ensure the necessary safety measures for contract workers engaged in high-risk tasks. He expressed concern that these workers were inadequately trained in essential safety practices, contributing to the fatal incident. The Chief Minister further emphasized the need for strict enforcement of safety protocols to protect contract workers and called for serious consequences for lapses in safety compliance.

He referenced a recent fatality in Thiruvananthapuram, where a contract worker lost his life after falling into the Aamyizhanjan canal while working along the tracks. He attributed this incident to inadequate safety provisions and underscored the urgent need for a comprehensive review of safety standards for contract workers in the railway sector.