Kerala government announces Rs 10 lakh compensation for sanitation worker Joy

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala government on Wednesday announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the family of Joy, a sanitation worker who died while cleaning the Amayizhanchan canal in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram city.

The cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan decided to sanction Rs 10 lakh to Joy's mother from the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF).

Joy who was cleaning the canal along with two other workers, went missing on July 13 after a sudden current swept him away following heavy rains. The NDRF, fire force, and police carried out a massive rescue operation for nearly 48 hours.

His body was spotted on the third day by health workers about a kilometer away from the place where the worker went missing.

Meanwhile, the Thiruvananthapuram corporation which came under severe criticism over Joy’s tragic death, has decided to build a house for the sanitation worker's family. The corporation will convey its decision to the state government for necessary follow-up action, Mayor Arya Rajendran said in a statement here on Wednesday.

She said the local MLA C K Hareendran has assured to provide all assistance in identifying suitable land for the construction of the house.

Govt announces 11 lakh compensation for tribal farmer killed in elephant attack

In a separate development, the government decided to provide an urgent relief of Rs 11 lakh as compensation to the family of Raju, a tribal farmer who was killed in an elephant attack in Wayanad district on Tuesday. The government also decided to give a temporary job to the kin of the deceased.

The tribal department will also construct a house for the farmer's family and sponsor his children's education.

Earlier hundreds of villagers from a tribal settlement blocked the Kozhikode-Bengaluru National Highway at Kalloor on Wednesday morning. The protest began soon after Tribal Welfare Minister O R Kelu arrived at the spot to hand over the first installment of Rs 5 lakh to the farmer's family.

The villages refused to lift the blockade till the government and forest department took immediate measures to protect the local people from the recurring attacks of wild animals in the area.

Later the police intervened and removed the blockade facilitating the minister's visit to the farmer’s house.