India
oi-Gaurav Sharma
Sangrur: Eight workers employed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) were killed and 12 injured when a speeding car ran over a group of labourers in Alisher village in Sangrur district of Punjab on Sunday.
The workers were sitting and having water when the vehicle rammed into them on the Jakhal-Lehra road, inflicting injuries on several of them. All the eight dead workers belonged to the Alisher village, the officials said.
Eight MGNREGA workers were killed and 12 injured when a speeding car hit them in Alisher village, Sangrur, Punjab on Sunday. The district administration is providing medical aid and compensation, while police investigate the incident.
The gruesome incident has once again drawn attention to the plight of the workers employed under the MGNREGA scheme.
The deceased were employed under the central government’s MNREGA scheme which aims to provide guaranteed wage employment to rural households. For the workers, it is often a primary source of livelihood.
The injured in the mishap have been sent to a government hospital while three to four critically injured persons have been shifted to the Sangrur Civil Hospital, the officials said.
Administration Assures Care to Injured and Compensation to Next of Kin
Sangrur Deputy Commissioner Poonamdeep Kaur said that the district administration has taken up the matter and all arrangements have been made to provide the best medical aid to the injured.
“The administration is looking after all the arrangements for providing medical aid and necessary support to the family members of those who lost their lives due to the incident,” Ms Kaur said.
Sangrur Superintendent of Police Palwinder Cheema said that the police have launched an inquiry into the matter.
“A First Information Report (FIR) has been filed and appropriate action will be taken against those found guilty,” Mr Cheema said.
Congress Demands Compensation to MGNREGA Workers’ Families
Congress leader Amarinder Singh Raja Warring expressed shock and condolence on the incident.
“Today I was deeply shocked to learn about the accident in which eight workers were killed and 12 injured. These are poor workers who go out to work under the MNREGA to earn a livelihood and support their families. The entire responsibility of their treatment and compensation should be given by the government,” Raja Warring said in a post on X (earlier Twitter).
He further said that the authorities should ensure the immediate treatment of the injured persons, take strict action against those responsible for the mishap and provide compensation to the families of those killed in the incident.
