NHRC issues notice to TS government

New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to the Telangana government after 10 women working under the MGNREGA scheme were buried alive when a mound of mud fell on them in Narayanpet district.

Taking a serious note of the incident, the Commission has asked the chief secretary to submit a report of the incident, including action taken against guilty, relief and rehabilitation to the families of the victims and status of the safety measures at such sites where deep digging is conducted. It has sought a response within four weeks.

The women working under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme were buried alive and another was injured when a mound of mud fell on them at a village in Narayanpet district on Wednesday.

The incident, the Commission observed, raise a serious issue of violation of the right. "Poor villagers, who are not skilled workers and need a job to earn their livelihood, do opt to work under MGNREGA scheme. The deceased, no doubt, belonged to the poorest strata, the way, the embankment has collapsed and negligence on the part of the contractor and the department concerned cannot be ruled out.

"It seems that neither any precaution was taken by the authorities nor any kind of help was available on the spot. Had some safety measures been taken, ten human lives could perhaps be saved," the Commission observed.