Jokatte accident: Errant labour contractors feel the heat as police book four persons

[email protected] (News Network)
May 8, 2012

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Mangalore, May 8: The major road accident that claimed eight lives at Doddakere near Jokatte on the outskirts of the city on Sunday has forced Mangalore city police to take note of the manner in which human lives are being compromised.

This is the second accident involving labourers, most of them migrants from Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand, to work at Mangalore Special Economic Zone sites, in the past three months. On February 12, three workers were killed and 21 others were injured when a mini bus in which they were travelling from their worksite in Jokatte to their rooms hit an electricity pole and toppled at Shantigudde Cross under Bajpe police station limits. About 70 labourers, police said, working for Punj Llyod, were travelling in the mini bus (KA 19 C 8423) at the time of the mishap.

City police chief Seemant Kumar Singh said that he has directed Mangalore north sub-division ACP M Puttamadaiah and police inspectors of Bajpe, Panambur and Surathkal police stations to convene a meeting of contractors and subcontractors who supply labourers to MSEZ and MRPL forthwith. We will also collect details of labourers and the type of vehicles used to transport them. Surprise checks will be conducted on the routes used by contractors to ferry labourers to the worksites of MSEZ and MRPL. "The absence of a dedicated traffic police station in the area is felt more acutely than ever before after the Sunday's accident.

However, it cannot be an excuse for overlooking blatant violation of traffic and human safety," he said. Contractors on their part cannot seek to cut corners by cramping labourers in pick-up vehicles. "The accident has opened our eyes. We are also thinking of involving the regional transport office in curbing the menace within the scope of powers vested in them," he added.

Four persons booked

Meanwhile, police have also booked four persons for negligence in connection with the accident.

The Panambur police have booked the official of the Toya Company who issued the order for the painting work to 21 workers. The main contractor Mukund Enterprises, sub contractor Narmati Enterprises and the truck driver Saji have been named as the accused.

Victims identified

The police on Monday have identified eight persons who were killed when the multi-utility vehicle in which they were traveling plunged into a gorge near Jokatte.

According to police, the deceased are Chandramohan (40), Kettu Chitra Paniya (36), Chandan Patra (34), all residents of Behra village in Orissa, Chitrasan Giri (56) of Karanjiya in Orissa, M D Irfan (26) of Ranchi in Jharkhand, Nannu Khan alias Salman Khan (35) of Jharkhand, Prakash Chandra Naik and Mutsud Khan of Jharkhand.

As many as 13 persons had sustained injuries and are recuperating in the hospital. The police said that few family members were informed about the tragedy. The bodies have been kept at the mortuary in Wenlock Hospital and Fr Muller Hospital.

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News Network
July 15,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 15: Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has announced temporary halt of production at its plant in Bidadi, which is on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

“Halting production will be from July 14 (second shift) to July 22 (first shift) and this is in accordance with the directives issued by the Government of Karnataka as well as to support the Govt. in their constant efforts to flatten the curve of the rising Covid-19 positive cases in Karnataka,” a statement from the company said.

Bengaluru Urban and Rural, and other districts are, are under lockdown from 8 pm on July 14 to 5 am on July 22.

“Since the onset of the pandemic, TKM has adopted a very proactive and multi-faceted approach to safeguard the physical as well as the mental well-being of all its stakeholders including customers, its employees, dealer and supplier partners,” the company said.

“The office staff at TKM’s corporate and regional offices, continue to work from home to help mitigate risks. In addition to the safety protocols that are being followed, TKM has provided safety kits containing essential items like sanitisers, 3 ply masks and handwashes to 5000 employees, their family members and their neighbourhoods.

“TKM understands the urgency of the situation. During these difficult times, TKM is taking obligatory actions to contain further spread and will continue to respond in accordance with guidance issued by the Government and its internal standards,” it added.

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News Network
April 7,2020

Bengaluru, Apr 7: Former Minister and Leader of the Opposition Siddaramiah on Tuesday termed the shutting by private clinics in the state by doctors as an 'inhuman act'.

Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, the Congress leader said due to the fear of Novel Coronavirus, the doctors have closed their private clinics, which was against their profession.

This has affected the people, especially those, who are suffering from other deceases. He urged Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa to intervene and resolve the issue immediately.

Despite the government instructions not to close down their clinics, the doctors have not been responding positively, Mr Siddaramaiah noted.

In this connection, the government should act seriously and give necessary warning to the doctors, to either open their clinics to serve the people, or face action, he added.

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News Network
February 16,2020

Udupi, Feb 16: Nine people were killed after a private bus collided with a large roadside boulder in Udupi district in Karnataka on Saturday, the police said. The accident took place on Saturday evening, at around 5.45 pm, on the Mulnur Ghat at Abbas Kattingeri in Mala village, while the bus was on its way to Mangaluru from Sringeri, reported the news channel.

The bus, which was reportedly carrying around 35 passengers, was trying to manoeuvre a turn while travelling on a ghat road when the driver allegedly lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle hit a massive boulder and the impact caused seven people to die on the spot. Two others passed away while they were on the way to the hospital.

The deceased passengers have been identified as Radha Ravi, Yogendra, Preetham Gowda, Basavaraju, Angana, Sharul and Ranjitha. The cleaner of the bus was also killed in the accident.

According to reports, the passengers in the bus were mostly in their early 20s and were employees of Vital Records Private Limited near JCK Industrial Park. Century Vital Records is a data security company which works in the Hebbal Industrial Mysuru. The group was visiting Udupi, Hornadu and Kudremukh.

While some of the injured persons were rushed to Manipal hospital, others were taken to the Karkala city government hospital, police said.

The police have said that rash and negligent driving by the driver is likely to have caused the accident. A case has been registered at the Karkala Rural Police Station, the police said.

Last month, three persons were killed and four others were injured after a fatal collision between a van and a bus near Bengaluru. Both the vehicles caught fire after the impact, but while passengers of the bus, travelling from Bengaluru to Shivamogga, managed to escape, the three passengers who were trapped in the van could not escape and were charred to death.

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