Maharashtra govt to pay Rs 5 lakh compensation to kin of train accident victims

Mumbai, May 8, 2020

The Maharashtra government on Friday announced a compensation of Rs 500,000 to the next-of-kin of all the 16 migrant workers who were run over by a goods train near Aurangabad.

Expressing deep anguish over the incident, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that all the expenses for the treatment of all those injured in the mishap will be borne by the state government.

"We are in constant touch with the Centre to make arrangements for running as many trains as possible for the migrants to return to their homes. I appeal to them not to give up hope," Thackeray urged.

The Chief Minister said that the victims were working for a steel company in Jalna and were proceeding along the railway lines, apparently to their homes in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh.

At night they slept on the railway tracks but early Friday a goods train ran over them, killing 16.

Thackeray said that, in the past 4-5 days, around 100,000 migrant workers have reached home safely and more trains are being organized, including from Mumbai, to send the other stranded workers to their respective states.

IANS