Tarn Taran (Punjab) [India], March 10 : The family of Gurpreet Singh, a worker from Punjab who lost his life in the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel in Telangana, is seeking compensation and support from the Punjab government, as he was the sole breadwinner of the family.
While speaking to ANI, Gurpreet Singh's wife, who has two young daughters, requested a government job to support her family.
"My request from the government is that either my daughters or I should be given a government job so that I can take care of my children. I have two daughters, and there is no one else earning in our family," she said.
The family has expressed disappointment that no representative from the Punjab government has visited them to offer condolences or support.
Kulwant Singh, Gurpreet's uncle, alleged that no representative from the Punjab government came to their house.
"We had gone there. The company kept assuring us that the person was safe and would be brought out soon. All our hopes were shattered yesterday. The Telangana government has promised to give 25 lakh rupees, but no member from our government has come to our house to enquire about our well-being," Singh told ANI.
The village sarpanch, Monu Cheema, has also urged the Punjab government to provide help, citing the family's poor financial condition.
"He left two months ago. Since the day this incident happened, our entire village has been very troubled because he was the only breadwinner. He has two young daughters, a wife, and his mother. They are a poor family, and he had gone to Telangana for work," he said.
"Yesterday, we learned about this news through the media. CM Reddy has promised to provide 25 lakh rupees in assistance. I want the Punjab government to also help, as there is no one else in the family earning. We expect the body to arrive here by tomorrow evening," Cheema added.
Meanwhile, the Telangana government has promised Rs 25 lakhs in assistance.
An official statement from the Telangana CMO read, "Telangana CM Revanth Reddy and Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy expressed condolences over the death of the worker, identified as Gurpreet Singh."
The Kerala cadaver dog squad were roped in to assist in the rescue efforts and has found human remains inside the tunnel.
According to rescue officials, the deceased was found trapped in a machine inside the collapsed section of the tunnel.
"We found one dead body stuck in the machine, with only the hand visible. The rescue teams are currently cutting the machine to retrieve the stuck body," said the official.
On February 22, a three-meter section of the roof of an under-construction stretch of the SLBC tunnel collapsed at the 14 km mark near Domalapenta in the Nagarkurnool district in Telangana. The collapse occurred just four days after construction work had resumed following a lengthy hiatus. While some workers managed to escape, eight got trapped.