At least 10 labourers from Kashinagar block in Gajapati district are feared trapped in the debris of a 12-storied building at Molibhakam in the West Chennai that collapsed on Saturday evening.
While the identities of three labourers are known, there is no information about the remaining seven. Surprisingly, neither the Gajapati district administration nor the State labour Department has any information in this regard.
According to reports, Uddi Pappa Rao(50), his wife and two daughters of Khandaba village and logulapu lokesh(25) of Ranipentha village under Kashinagar block were working at different construction sites in Chennai while staying in the under-construction building.
On the fateful day, Pappa Rao’s wife and one of her daughters had gone for work at a construction site while he and his daughter Roja were working on the roof of the under-construction building. The structure collapsed in the evening trapping both inside.
After hours of efforts by a rescue team, Rao was rescued in the late night and admitted in a hospital in a critical condition. However, there was no trace of his daughter and lokesh. Besides, there is no information about the remaining seven labourers of Kashinagar who were also working in the building.
Sources said, Paralakhemundi MlA K Suriya Rao is collecting information about the missing workers and has discussed the matter with the district administration.
Sources said that nearly 5,000 labourers from Kashinagar block have migrated to other States in search of work to eke out a living. However, the labour Department has no information on this nor has it made any efforts to keep track of their whereabouts and plight.