Bhubaneswar, June 27: A week after the devastating ammonia gas leak at a private seafood processing unit in Tamil Nadu's Tiruvallur district claimed the lives of 12 Odia workers, the Odisha government on Saturday facilitated the safe return of 62 migrant workers to the state.
The workers arrived at Bhubaneswar Railway Station from Chennai, where the state government had arranged food, drinking water, medical examinations, rest facilities, and transportation to their respective native districts.
Among the returnees, 58 are from Keonjhar district, while the remaining workers belong to Koraput, Rayagada, Mayurbhanj, and Dhenkanal. The group includes 35 women workers, all from Keonjhar, and 27 men, of whom 23 are from Keonjhar and one each from the other four districts. Special buses were arranged to transport them safely to their hometowns.
The evacuation follows the June 21 ammonia gas leak at the St. Peter and Paul Sea Foods Exports Company in Tiruvallur district, near Chennai, one of the deadliest industrial accidents involving migrant workers in recent years.
Officials from the Odisha Labour Department said the evacuation was carried out as part of the state government's ongoing efforts to ensure the safe return of affected workers.
Official said that while 12 workers from Odisha have lost their lives in the incident, five others remain in critical condition and are on ventilator support at Vels Hospital, Sri Venkateswara Hospital, Stanley Medical College, and Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital in Chennai.
He added that the Odisha Labour Department, in coordination with the Tamil Nadu government and the local district administration, is closely monitoring the condition of the injured workers and maintaining regular contact with hospital authorities.
Following the tragedy, the Odisha government announced an ex gratia of ₹10 lakh from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund for the family of each deceased worker.
