Provide relief for Cheyyar victims, farmers urge CM Stalin
In a letter addressed to the Chief Minister, the union general secretary R Bhaskar highlighted a tragic incident that took place on May 12, 2025, in Kazhanipakkam village near Cheyyar in Tiruvannamalai district.
CHENNAI: The CPI-backed Tamil Nadu State Farm Workers Union has urged Chief Minister MK Stalin to provide compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the families of labourers who lost their lives while working under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme.
In a letter addressed to the Chief Minister, the union general secretary R Bhaskar highlighted a tragic incident that took place on May 12, 2025, in Kazhanipakkam village near Cheyyar in Tiruvannamalai district.
Over 50 workers, mostly elderly women, were engaged in MGNREGA-related work under harsh heat conditions.
Seeking relief from the intense heat, several of them took shelter under a banyan tree near the worksite.
“Tragically, a large branch of the tree broke and fell, instantly killing two women — Annapoorani (75) and Venda (65). Another woman, Pachaiyammal (60), succumbed to her injuries while being taken to the hospital. Several others, including Kanaka, Devi, Sampooranam, and Panchalai, sustained injuries and were admitted for treatment,” he noted.
To recall Fire and Rescue Services personnel had responded swiftly, using a crane to retrieve the bodies from beneath the debris. The officials from the Revenue and Police Departments, along with Cheyyar MLA O Jyothi had visited the scene and initiated an inquiry. Cheyyar Sub Collector Pallavi Varma confirmed that compensation procedures for the families of deceased have been initiated.
However, the union expressed hope that the incident had come to the Chief Minister Stalin’s attention and urged the government to recognise the lack of adequate legal provisions to compensate workers injured or killed during MGNREGA work.
Calling incident a ‘special case’, the CPI-backed union appealed to CM to provide minimum Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of the deceased
They requested that the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department propose necessary amendments to the employment guarantee legislation and forward them to the Union Government.
Calling the Kazhanipakkam incident a ‘special case’, the union appealed to the Chief Minister to provide a minimum compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased.
It also requested necessary medical care for the injured and welfare support for their families.
