A pall of gloom now descends on Bonda Ghat area in Malkangiri district following the death of three Bonda labourers after a parapet wall of a building under construction collapsed along with scaffolding in Hyderabad. Three other labourers are undergoing treatment after sustaining multiple injuries in the mishap.
Meanwhile, a team of police and district administration reached Hyderabad to bring back the bodies to Odisha.
The deceased have been identified as Santu Badanayak, Sonia Kalam and Sonia Badanayak of Badapada village in the district.
As per reports, the workers were engaged in the construction of the five-storey building it collapsed, killing them on the spot.
The family members of the deceased are shocked and crestfallen after the incident. The locals have demanded compensation for the bereaved family members and job opportunity for them in the State.
As per the locals, they are forced to work in Hyderabad as their financial condition is very poor and they do not have much scope to earn their livelihood in the State. After losing the sole earning member, the family members of the deceased have now become helpless.
“Had they got the chance to earn their livelihood in Odisha, they would not have been forced to work outside the State. The deceased have small children. Now the family members are helpless and worried about their livelihood,” said the relative of a deceased.
“We don’t have scope for cultivation as we belong to hilly areas. We do not have much education. The people of our area are forced to work outside the State as migrant workers. We request the Odisha government to help us provide work in our own State so that we don’t have to go outside and work in hazardous conditions,” said a relative of another deceased.
“We also request the government to provide some financial help to the family members of the deceased as they have lost the sole earning members of their families. They are now clueless on how to make a living,” he added.