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Kodungaiyur girls died when mothers were on Corporation rain duty
Anu, a temporary conservancy worker with Manali (Division 18), went into shock a day after her daughter Bhavana and her friend Yuvashri, died after stepping on an electricity cable in the tenements at RR Nagar in Kodungaiyur.
By
migrator
migrator
Chennai
Her neighbour, Amala, another temporary conservancy worker in the same division, said most of the residents in the locality worked on daily wages with the civic body, ensuring that the city is clean, while they live in squalor, neglected by the authorities.
“Be it Vardah or the 2015 floods, we are called to work round-the-clock. For the last eight years, Anu and I have been working as temporary conservancy workers and working overtime, hoping to be given a permanent position. In case of heavy rain, most people in the city are allowed to return to their families early. But we are not given the same treatment.
Since it was raining so heavily on Wednesday, if the Corporation had allowed us to leave at least an hour earlier, Anu would have returned home, ensuring that her child is safe,” she rued.
Non-muster roll Corporation workers are paid a minimum wage of Rs 320 per day. Anu’s husband Parthiban works as a coolie. The couple have a son, Praveen, studying in Class 2.
Many women, employed as temporary conservancy workers, said that they work hard for a pittance, while struggling to make ends meet. Amala is worried to leave her children at home, especially during the rain.
“All the junction boxes in the colony are open, posing a hazard for the children. We keep the city clean, but none of the authorities even look at our welfare,” she added. 30-year-old Mohana, mother of Yuvashri, sobbed unconsolably, asking for her daughter. The anger was palpable among the neighbours, who said that the childrens’ death could have been avoided.
“We have been complaining to the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) officials to close the junction box even before the rains. But nobody paid heed to us. When the children were electrocuted, we called the TNEB but received no response.
If the officials had done their work, our children would still be playing here,” concluded Raja, Yuvashri’s relative.
High Court seeks report on girls’ death
Taking suo motu cognisance of the death of the two children in Kodungaiyur caused by electrocution when they stepped into stagnant rain water on Wednesday, the Madras High Court has directed the Government to file a report with details on the compensation provided to the families of the deceased girls. The government pleader present in court submitted that action has already been initiated against officials responsible and that eight personnel of TNEB in charge of the area have been suspended.
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