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Victims’ kin seek Government Order on Sterlite closure
Fishermen representatives, who met officials of Thoothukudi district administration, had demanded the state government to pass a government order (GO) for permanent closure of Sterlite copper, on Saturday and said they would not receive the victims’ bodies till then.
By
migrator
migrator
Madurai
After the police firing in Thoothukudi, in which 13 persons had died tension ran high in the town, but deployment of police kept the situation under control in many parts of the town. However, fishermen hamlets, specially, Trespuram, still remain tense.
The newly appointed Thoothukudi Collector Sandeep Nanduri and Thoothukudi SP Murali Ramba with the aim of bringing normalcy in the town are holding talks with various stakeholders. On Saturday, the officials held a meeting with fishermen representatives and Church priests.
After the meeting, Thomas, priest of St Antony’s Church, Thoothukudi, said that though the state government had said that the Sterlite copper had been shutdown and the electricity supply had been stopped they are not satisfied with the action.
A definite action in the form of a GO stating permanent closure of the factory should be passed by the government and only then they would collect the bodies of victims.
He also said, “If the GO is passed we will consider the death of the people as a sacrifice for the well being of Thoothukudi and will accept the bodies.
Till the GO is passed we will not accept the bodies.”
In the meantime, another meeting by fishermen was conducted in St. Thomas Church in Thoothukudi. The meeting was convened by All Bharathar Fishermen Federation and in the meeting eight demands were passed.
Filing murder case against the policemen who shot at the protesters, the policemen who shot the protesters should be suspended, Rs 1 crore as compensation for the family of the deceased and a government job for one person in the family, proper treatment for people who had sustained bullet injuries and proper compensation for the injured, revocation of cases filed against the protesters, withdraw all the police force and police should stop picking up youngsters in the nights by cutting the electricity supply were the demands passed by the fishermen in the meeting.
Bereaved families yet to get relief money from government
Though the state government had announced monetary compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the family of the persons who had died in the Thoothukudi police firing, none of them had so far been given the compensation amount. However, the injured were provided with the relief amount while getting treated in the hospital.
After the firing, government sprung into action and declared Rs 10 lakh for the 13 deceased. Also Rs 3 lakh was declared for persons who had suffered serious injuries and Rs 1 lakh for people who had sustained minor injuries. Though compensation was announced, none of the victim’s families received the monetary relief and the officials did not take steps to issue the same. However, a senior official at Thoothukudi said that at present the only aim of the government is to restore normalcy in Thoothukudi and to put things in place.
Also the victims’ families are suffering from grief and it will not be appropriate for officials to visit them to distribute the amount. After the situation had become completely normal the amount would be distributed, said the official.
Dhinakaran petitions Collector
Earlier, Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam deputy general secretary TTV Dhinakaran met Sandeep Nanduri and submitted a petition stating that many youngsters are being kept under illegal detention and the district administration should take steps to release them.
However, Murali Ramba refuted his allegation and said that no one is kept under illegal detention and the arrested persons were remanded. So far, 145 persons had been remanded, said the Thoothukudi SP.
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