Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday acknowledged the efforts on the part of the Government of India and that of Kuwait in their intervention following the fire tragedy in Kuwait in which 45 Indians lost their lives.
A special aircraft of the Indian Air Force carrying the bodies of Indians killed in the June 12 Kuwait building fire landed in Kerala’s Cochin International Airport earlier today.
Speaking to reporters before the flight’s landing, the Chief Minister said, “It is a never-ending loss for the families… The Government of Kuwait has taken effective and impeccable measures. It is expected that the follow-up will be flawless. When it came to know about the disaster, the Government of India also intervened in a proper manner in the case of those who died in the Kuwait disaster.”
The Chief Minister said that he believes that the Kuwaiti government will take care to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.
“It is hoped that the Kuwaiti government will take the lead in providing adequate compensation to the families. government of India should also try to speed up in such matters,” Vijayan said.
The Chief Minister said that fire incident was the biggest disaster that the diaspora has seen in Kuwait.
Stating that it is necessary to take precautions to prevent such a disaster from happening again, Vijayan said, “Expatriates are the lifeblood of Kerala. They are experiencing many difficulties in life. This misery is more than the people who are waiting for the return of the expatriates can bear.”
It is expected that the Kuwaiti government will provide adequate compensation to the families of the deceased. Central government should also intervene effectively, he said.
On State Health Minister Veena George not given permission to visit Kuwait, the Chief Minister said, “There have been some wrong approaches, but now is not the time for that controversy.”
Speaking to ANI, Kerala Minister P Rajeev said that special ambulances have been arranged for each deceased and a police pilot has also been provided.”Out of 45 deceased, the bodies of the residents of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka will be brought here,” the minister said.
The mortal remains of 31 victims brought to Kerala, included 23 from Kerala, seven from Tamil Nadu, and one from Karnataka.
State Minister K Rajan said, “We will make sure that ambulances pass without any difficulties. We have arranged green channels. Name boards have been stamped on the tables and the ambulances. Our mission is to make the mortal remains reach the dear ones within no time. It’s a tragic incident.”
Union Minister Suresh Gopi referred to the tragedy as “voluminous and impactful” and said that it is a thud on the ‘pravaasi’ (Overseas Indians) community, which helped the economic situation in Kerala.
“The state and the country have very high regard for the ‘pravaasi’ community and it is very painful. India will play its role very well because we initiated action as soon as the news was received. The GoI will take appropriate actions and decisions,” the Union Minister told reporters on Friday.
“We have our contingent working to look after people in all health conditions. They will be brought back to India and their rehabilitation will also be taken care of. It’s no graciousness, it is the duty of the GoI and the state government also,” he added.
Union Minister of State Singh VK Singh, who rushed to Kuwait on Thursday, accompanied the mortal remains of the deceased on the Air India flight.
Kerala Ministers Veena George and Roshi Augustin were also present at the airport to receive the mortal remains.
Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan, Union Minister Suresh Gopi, Congress MP Hibi Eden, BJP state president K Surendran and former Union Minister V Muraleedharan among others had also arrived ahead of the flight’s landing.
At least 45 Indians died in the huge fire that broke out in a labour accommodation in Kuwait’s Mangaf on June 12. This includes 23 from Kerala, seven from Tamil Nadu, three from Andhra Pradesh, and one each from Bihar, Odisha, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Haryana, Punjab and West Bengal.
