SALAR NEWS

Hassan Ganesha procession toll rises to 9; Karnataka CM, PM Modi announce ex-gratia

'We have formulated the Road Safety Act. If an accident happens due to the mistake of truck drivers, how can the government be held accountable? I offer my respect to those killed in the accident'.

PTI

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Mysuru, 13 Sept

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of nine people after a truck lorry crashed into a Ganesha procession in Hassan and announced ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh and Rs 2 lakh respectively.

“The government giving compensation to the families of the deceased does not mean it is equal to the value of life. The compensation is given to express condolence to the bereaved families,” Siddaramaiah told reporters at Mysuru airport on Saturday.

“We have formulated the Road Safety Act. If an accident happens due to the mistake of truck drivers, how can the government be held accountable? I offer my respect to those killed in the accident.”

Siddaramaiah also said that he had asked district in-charge minister Krishna Byre Gowda to visit the families of the victims and announce the ex gratia.

Rejecting BJP’s demand to enhance the compensation to Rs 10 lakh, Siddaramaiah asked, “How much did they give during their tenure in government? If they had given then, we too would have considered it.”

“We give compensation keeping in mind the financial condition of the economically weaker sections. It must be given equally in all such cases,” he asserted.

Similarly, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) offered its condolences to the tragedy.

“In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with the bereaved families,” the PMO said in a post on X. “An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000.”

According to an official statement, 19 people have been admitted in Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences. Two patients have been moved to Intensive Care Unit (ICU), with one person needing surgery from a rib fracture. The other 18 are reportedly stable.

Two people have been admitted in the Mangala hospital ICU, with both of them in a stable condition.