Construction workers are hard at work under the scorching sun. File
| Photo Credit: Karthikeyan G

The Tamil Nadu government should make insurance cover for construction workers mandatory in building plan approval applications, the Tamil Nadu AITUC Construction Workers Union has said.

General secretary of the Union N. Selvaraj told The Hindu on Friday that three construction workers died in accidents at construction sites in and around Coimbatore in the last 10 days. Even if a worker is not registered with the construction workers welfare board, his family will get ₹5 lakh compensation if he dies at the work site. Further, compensation should be paid to the worker’s family – depending on his age – by the property owner under the Workman Compensation Act.

However, most of the owners do not pay this amount. It takes a long time to settle the issue legally too and the family of the worker does not benefit.

Hence, the State government should make it mandatory for those who submit applications for building plan approval to get insurance cover for the workers. Only two public sector insurance companies have such policies. The applicant can take insurance cover for 10 workers or so – depending on the size of the building under construction, pay premium for one year and submit the details when the application is submitted for plan approval. This will benefit the workers, he said.

New Delhi:

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate a Ram Mandir-themed Durga Puja Pandal at Santosh Mitra Square in north Kolkata on October 16.

This unique pandal, organized by the Santosh Mitra Square Puja Committee, is modelled after the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Amit Shah is scheduled to visit Kolkata and inaugurate this Durga Puja pandal.

According to BJP leader Sajal Ghosh, the inauguration ceremony is set to take place at 4 PM in the Santosh Mitra Square Puja. This particular Durga Puja is also known as Sajay Ghosh’s Puja. The theme for this year’s celebration is the Ram Temple, inspired by the ongoing construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The pandal at Santosh Mitra Square has been beautifully decorated.

It’s worth mentioning that Amit Shah previously inaugurated Puja pandals during the 2021 Assembly elections in Kolkata. The BJP itself organized Durga Puja celebrations in Bengal during that time, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually present for the inauguration.