Tragedy struck a village in Jajpur district when its three labourers engaged at a cotton mill in Ahmedabad in Gujarat died in a massive fire on Saturday.
The deceased were identified as Dayanidhi Khuntia, Chinmay Khuntia and Kamesh Singh, residents of Jamadhara village under the Jajpur Sadar police station.
They were working at the Lotus Level India, a cotton mill in Ahmedabad since past three years. The fire broke out engulfing the factory in which they were engaged for work. They were charred to death.
Chinmay Khuntia had recently visited the village and gone back to Ahmedabad over a week back.
“We received the sad news yesterday. The labourers from this village died. Two persons from the village who were staying with them informed us about the mishap. But we have no information about the steps being taken by the local administration in Gujarat to send the bodies to their native place,” said Jamadhara Naib Sarpanch Mirza Anzaru Islam.
The villagers urged The Odisha Government for steps to bring the bodies from Gujarat and financial assistance under the State’s labour law.
“As the families of the deceased persons are living in extreme poverty, we want the State Government to provide them financial assistance under the State’s labour law. We also demand that the district administration take initiative to bring the bodies from Ahmedabad,” Anzaru Islam said.