Mamata Banerjee announced one member each from the family of those killed in the Anandapur fire will be inducted as civic police volunteers.
Addressing a public meeting in Hooghly’s Singur, Mamata said, “I had sent Bobby (Mayor Firhad Hakim) and Aroop (state power minister Aroop Biswas) to the spot. They have announced Rs. 10 lakh compensation for the families. I have told the police department to include one member from each family into the civic police.”
The food chain company Wow! Momo has announced a lump-sum compensation of Rs. 10 lakh per family, lifetime monthly salary to the families of the deceased employees and promised to bear the cost of education of the children.
In a statement, released on social media, the company said two of its employees and a guard from a security service agency had perished in the fire that broke out in the wee hours of January 26.
While the compensations were announced, more skeletal remains of the victims were found in the gutted warehouse and the factory.
At least 11 remains have been recovered so far while over 17 still remain missing according to the number of missing complaints filed so far. The cops have sought the permission of the court to conduct DNA tests to identify the victims.
Gangadhar Das, the owner of the warehouse from where the fire is suspected to have originated, was arrested from East Midnapore’s Khejuri late on Tuesday night.
Citizens held a protest in Jadavpur on Wednesday evening against “government negligence” and “corporate murder” of the workers.