Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat visited Kangsali village in Tehri district from where 10 school children had died recently in a road accident. Paying tributes to the departed children, he later visted the children injured in the mishap and undergoing treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Rishikesh.
Apart from paying homage to the children killed in the accident, the chief minister also met the family members of the deceased and injured children in the village. Earlier, the district administration had provided ex-gratia of Rs one lakh to each of the families of the children killed and Rs 10,000 financial assistance to the families of the children injured. During his visit to the village, the chief minister provided cheques to the district magistrate to provide an additional Rs one lakh per family of deceased children and Rs 50,000 to the families of the injured children. Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said that the accident was unfortunate and had made everyone sad. As soon as information about the mishap was received, the state government had directed the officials concerned to ensure swift medical treatment for the injured school children. A helicopter was also provided to ensure that the injured children could be transported to the hospital without any delay. Responding to the demand raised by the family members of the deceased and injured students for better medical treatment facilities in the area, the chief minister said that the State Government is undertaking consistent efforts to facilitate better health services. The State Government had approached the high court to bring back the bonded doctors who had dishonoured their bond. About a week ago, the government won the case in the court as a result of which about 600 doctors are expected to be appointed in the near future. Rawat said that the government will arrange for one more boat ambulance for the Pratapnagar area. The people of Pratapnagar have been most affected by the Tehri dam. Considering this, a lump sum of Rs 88 crore was provided by the government for construction of the Dobra Chanthi bridge. The bridge is expected to be dedicated to the public by February next year, he said. Rawat also assured the family members of the deceased and injured children that an investigation of the accident is underway. Strict action according to the rules will be taken against anyone found to be guilty in the mishap. Responding to a demand raised by the family members, the chief minister said that the State Government has demanded of the Central Government that one Kendriya Vidyalaya be opened in each development block of the state. The local MLA Vijay Singh Panwar, district magistrate V Shanmugham, senior superintendent of police Yogendra Singh Rawat and other officials were also among those present on the occasion.
Later, the CM visited AIIMS Rishikesh to enquire about the condition of the injured children undergoing treatment. He said that the entire expense on the treatment of these children will be borne by the Government.
It will be recalled that on August 6, nine school children died on the spot, one died later and 10 were injured when the jeep they were travelling in fell off the road down the mountainside near Kangsali on Pratapnagar-Kangsali-Madan Negi motor road in Tehri district.