Tragic Accident Claims Lives of 8 MGNREGA Workers in Punjab
A speeding vehicle struck MGNREGA labourers resting by the roadside in Sangrur, resulting in eight fatalities and twelve injuries.
Eight MGNREGA workers, including six women, were killed in a road accident in Sangrur, Punjab.
The driver, Pargat Singh, has been arrested, and an investigation is underway.
Local officials are providing medical assistance and support to the victims' families.
A devastating incident occurred in Sangrur, Punjab, on Sunday when a speeding car collided with a group of MGNREGA workers who were resting along the Jakhal-Lehra road near Alisher village. The tragic accident resulted in the deaths of eight individuals and left twelve others injured. The local Deputy Commissioner, Poonamdeep Kaur, confirmed the fatalities and emphasized the administration's commitment to assisting the victims and their families.
The deceased, all from Alisher village, included six women and two men. The driver of the Chevrolet Magnum, identified as Pargat Singh from Raidhrana village, was apprehended shortly after the incident. The injured workers were transported to various hospitals, including Sangrur Civil Hospital and facilities in Patiala and Lehragaga, for treatment.
Sangrur's Superintendent of Police, Palwinder Cheema, stated that a thorough investigation is being conducted, and a first information report (FIR) will be filed against the driver. The police have recovered the vehicle involved in the accident and are conducting forensic examinations to gather more evidence.
The MGNREGA scheme, which provides guaranteed wage employment to rural households, employs many of the victims. Villagers expressed their outrage, claiming that the victims were left waiting for an ambulance for over an hour after the accident. Harvinder Singh, a local factory worker, reported that more than twenty individuals sustained serious injuries, and there were delays in medical assistance.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, local leaders, including Congress member Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, expressed their condolences and called for immediate medical aid for the injured, strict action against the driver, and compensation for the families of the deceased. The community is now demanding that MGNREGA workers be assigned tasks within the village to prevent such incidents in the future.
