Jaipur, Nov 2 — Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma on Monday expressed concern over the Jhunjhunu incident in which eight people were killed and offered condolences to the families of the deceased.
He sought a factual report from the District Collector and directed officials to ensure prompt and quality medical treatment for the injured.
The Chief Minister also ordered a high-level inquiry into the circumstances leading to the accident and instructed authorities to provide all possible relief and assistance to the affected families.
Minister Jhabar Singh Kharra has been deputed to visit the accident site and meet the affected families. The Chief Minister also wished the injured a speedy recovery.
Eight labourers were killed, and five others sustained burn injuries after a road construction machine came into contact with a high-tension electricity line in Chapoli village, in the Udaipurwati area of Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu district.
The accident occurred when the hydraulic jack of a concrete-mixing machine, being used to mix gravel and sand for road construction, came into contact with an overhead high-tension power line.
The electric current spread through the machinery, striking the workers operating and working near it. Udaipurwati Station House Officer (SHO) Rampal confirmed the incident.
The five injured labourers were taken to the Udaipurwati Community Health Centre (CHC), where they are undergoing treatment. The deceased have been identified as Hariram Gurjar (30), Mangalchand Gurjar (22), Kaluram Gurjar (29) and Pawan Gurjar (23), all residents of Haleda Mandawara. The four belonged to the same family. The other deceased are Vishnu Saini (38), Surendra alias Suresh Saini (30), Mukesh Saini (27) and Fatehchand Saini (32), all residents of Chapoli village. The injured have been identified as Mahendra, son of Banwari Lal Saini; Geeta Devi (45), wife of Madan Lal Meghwal; Santra Devi (35), wife of Satish Meghwal; Gidaram (45), son of Dhannaram Saini; and Manju Devi (38), wife of Rajesh Kumar.
Following the accident, angry villagers staged a protest, alleging negligence by the administration and the electricity department. They claimed that several electricity poles and overhead wires were in contact with trees.
Villagers further alleged that when they contacted the Grid Substation (GSS) to request an immediate power shutdown after the accident, no staff member was available.
Former minister Rajendra Gudha said that one member of each victim's family should be provided with a government job.
He stressed that the tragedy should not become a matter of political posturing and that the immediate priority should be supporting the affected families.
He also urged the District Collector to visit the site and assure the families of all possible assistance. Local MLA Bhagwanaram Saini and DSP Sugan Singh also reached the spot.