Contractor booked in building collapse incident in Chennai

Chennai, Oct 1 (PTI) A case has been registered under relevant sections against the contractor after an under-construction building at the Ennore Thermal Power Station collapsed in which nine migrant workers died on September 30, police said on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister M K Stalin expressed grief over the incident. The nine victims hail from Assam.

"Cases have been booked against the contractor. Investigations are going on," a senior police officer of the Kattur Police Station told PTI.

Stalin had instructed Electricity Minister S S Sivasankar and TANGEDCO Chairman K Radhakrishnan to immediately oversee the relief work at the accident site.

Speaking to PTI, Radhakrishnan said the migrant workers were standing under the construction building when the incident took place.

"Ten persons fell down from that height (45 mts) as the base on which they were standing collapsed. BHEL has taken up the work to design, build and construction. While nine people were brought dead to the hospital (Government Royapettah Stanley Hospital) one person is under treatment," he said.

PM Modi has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund to the next of kin of each deceased, while Stalin announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the bereaved family members.

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K Selvaperunthagai were among those who expressed grief over the incident. PTI VIJ VIJ KH