Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has increased the ex-gratia assistance for families of women workers who died in the ammonia gas leak in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvallur district to Rs 10 lakh from Rs 4 lakh. The Chief Minister expressed deep sorrow over the Odia workers’ deaths and initially announced Rs 4 lakh ex gratia from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF) for each deceased worker’s next of kin. This amount has now been raised to Rs 10 lakh by CM Majhi.
Efforts are being made to repatriate the deceased workers’ bodies to Odisha promptly after completing all formalities, as informed by Chief Secretary Anu Garg. The state government is also contemplating sending an additional official to join the three-member team already in Chennai, following CM Majhi’s directives. Three senior officers from Odisha have visited Tiruvallur, coordinating with Tamil Nadu authorities to ensure medical care for the injured workers and manage other necessary arrangements.
Tamil Nadu government officials reported a rise in the death toll of Odia workers to seven in the gas leak incident. The total death toll from the ammonia gas leak at a private seafood processing unit near Periyapalayam in Tiruvallur district now stands at nine, including seven Odia workers and two from Assam. Of the 80 individuals affected by the gas leak, two have been discharged after recovery, while 69 others remain hospitalized in Chennai and Tiruvallur for treatment and observation.
