Worker’s death at Paradip port: Family demands compensation, job for kin

Tension prevailed at Paradip International Cargo Terminal (PICT) after a worker was crushed to death under a moving forklift. Bholanath Swain, a contractual worker and surveyor from Dhanurbellari under Balikuda police limits was allegedly run over by the forklift on the jetty, leading to his death on the spot.

Meanwhile, family members are demanding adequate compensation and a job for kin. Irate family members locked the gate of PICT and staged a sit-in protest. They threatened to intensify their agitation until their demands were fulfilled.

Angry family members allegedly ransacked the security office near the terminal’s main gate. Workers of the port also joined the dharna (sit-in protest) as a result of which cargo operations have come to a halt.

The protesters claimed that the workers were under extreme pressure to meet management’s targets, leading to frequent injuries and unsafe practices. The workers have also accused PICT of exploiting local labourers and making a profit over workers’ safety.

Earlier, the family members of Swain were made to run from hospital to hospital to see his body.

“They have not even handed over the body to us. We have been running from hospital to hospital. Now, we learnt that the body has been sent to Kujang Hospital. They had given us in writing that they would hand over the body to us today. The agitation is on,” informed Dwijabar Nayak, a relative of the deceased Swain.