MLA Bhumana Karunakar Reddy hands over Rs 5 lakh relief to kin of manhole victims

Tirupati : MLA Bhumana Karunakar Reddy assured Rs 16 lakh ex gratia to each family of three deceased, who died in UDS manhole mishap near Vaikuntapuram Arch on Wednesday.

The MLA handed over the cheques through MCT workers union leaders Thulasendra, Doraswamy and Madanmohan at Municipal Office after media briefing on Thursday.

The union leaders requested the MLA to provide more financial assistance from the government.

The MLA assured that each bereaved family including Lachanna's family will get Rs 16 lakh in total of which Rs 5 lakh from MCT, Rs 5 lakh from government and another Rs 5 lakh from YSR Bhima Scheme.

Apart from this, he added Rs 75, 000 will be paid to each family from Andhra Pradesh Corporation for Outsourced Services (APCOS) for conducting last rites to deceased and Rs 25, 000 from MCT.

Meanwhile Municipal Corporation of Tirupati (MCT) on Thursday paid an ex gratia Rs 5 lakh to each family of three persons who died in a manhole mishap. In the incident, two sanitary workers Armugam and Mahesh and a psserby Lachanna who came to rescue sanitary workers, died one after another while undergoing treatment in Ruia and SVIMS. MLA Bhumana Karunakar Reddy gave away cheques to the three families along with Commissioner Anupama Anjali and Deputy Mayor Abhinay Reddy at Municipal Office. Speaking on the occasion, the MLA after tendering his apology to people of Tirupati and family members of deceased, said it was an unfortunate incident and assured that the MCT will take necessary measures not to repeat such incidents in future. He also directed the Commissioner to provide jobs to a family member of two deceased sanitary workers and informed that Uni Adds where Lachanna was working agreed to provide a job to Lachanna's wife along with Rs 2 lakh financial assistance from the company.

Commissioner Anupama Anjali said Rs 15,000 was handed over to the family members of each for cremation expenditure and added that a probe into the issue was already initiated. It may be noted here that the Lachanna also breathed his last on Thursday while undergoing treatment in a private hospital after getting discharged from SVIMS. Deputy Commissioner Chandramouleeswar Reddy, Superintendent Engineer Thirumalika Mohan, Municipal Engineers Chandrasekhar, Venkatarami Reddy and Manager Chitti Babu were present.

Meanwhile the JSP and CPI leaders staged a dharna separately at Municipal Office on Thursday demanding Rs 50 lakh ex gratia to each family of deceased and a permanent job to a family member.