NELLORE: YSR Congress president Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy on Tuesday came down heavily on the government for what he described as callous indifference to putting a check on recurring explosions at fireworks manufacturing units and loss of human life.
During his visit to the Porlukatta blast site here, he said that no precautionary measures had been taken after a similar incident in East Godavari district over a year ago.
“This negligence resulted in another explosion here, which claimed the lives of six persons. This apart, the condition of 10 survivors is still serious,” he said.
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During his tour, Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy interacted with the family members and relatives of the blast victims in Sundarayyanagar slum and enquired about their living conditions.
Most of the residents of the area belong to the ‘Challa Yanadi’ tribe. They work in small-scale units being run on the city outskirts for a meagre wage.
Accompanied by MP Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy, and MLAs Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy, Kakani Govardhan Reddy, and P. Anil Kumar Yadav, Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy also called on those undergoing treatment in the burns ward at Narayana Super-Speciality Hospital.
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He also consoled the family members of the victims waiting outside the ward.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy said that had the government taken stringent measures against illegal fireworks units, the Nellore incident would not have taken place.
Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy said that all the victims had agreed to work in the “illegal unit” for a daily wage of just Rs.200, regardless of the threat they faced. This was solely because of the failure of the government to ensure safe working conditions, he added.
Realising the gravity of the situation, the government should immediately constitute a “tribals advisory committee” at the State level to monitor the execution of welfare schemes and ensure spending of funds under the Integrated Tribal Development Agencies (ITDAs) effectively, he said.
The Leader of the Opposition said that the government was not constituting the committee because YSRC tribal MLAs would gain dominance and deny the ruling party leaders a upper hand in the implementation of the schemes.
He demanded that the government sanction Rs.10 lakh ex gratia for each of the deceased tribal worker and creation of livelihood opportunities for their family members.