As many as 22 Odia migrant workers have died untimely death outside Odisha in three years from 2014 to 2016, informed labour and Employees State Insurance Minister Prafulla Mallick in the State Assembly in response to a question of Congress MlA Tara Prasad Bahinipati on Friday.
According to the information, five labouers from Koraput, three each from Ganjam, Kalahandi, Kendrapada and Rayagad, two each from Gajapati and Malkangiri and one worker from Nabarangpur died during the period. While nine workers died in year 2014, seven and six died in the following two years, respectively.
Of them, 14 workers between the ages of 17 and 55 years died at different places in Tamil Nadu during the three years. Similarly, three died each in Kerala and Karnataka and one died each in Chhattisgarh and Telangana.
While four died due to accident on railway track, three died in road accidents, once collapsed in labour camp, one’s body found in boiler tank, one died due to sudden sickness and one died due to burning. Reasons behind death of nine persons, who died in Talmilnadu in 2014, was not mentioned.
In a related question of BJD MlA Ranendra Pratap Swain, the Minister said as many as 4,849 migrant labourers were rescued from other States during the period from 2009 and 2015-16.
While a total of 1975 contractors have taken licence, 85 owners have registered under the Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act 1979. A total orf 189 cases has been registered against offenders of the Act, the Minister said.