Hyderabad: Expressing anger at the government for failing to provide relief and inform the family even after five hours of the accident, BRS senior leader T Harish Rao on Monday demanded the government to provide an ex-gratia of Rs 1 crore to the kin of the dead and Rs 50 lakh to the injured.

Harish Rao, along with MLA Chinta Prabhakar and other leaders visited the fire accident site in Pashamylaram Industrial Estate in Sangareddy district. On this occasion, he spoke to the District Collector, SP and NDRF teams and inquired about the relief efforts being made. Later, talking to the media, Harish Rao alleged that government failed to take relief efforts and inform the family members even after five hours of the incident. “It was very sad that eight people lost their lives in such a big explosion. I express my deepest condolences to their family members. A total of 140 people were working in the company at the time of the accident. The entire four-storey building collapsed. Eight people died, while about 26 people were taken to various hospitals. The condition of the rest is not known. It is unclear how many people managed to get out. The family members are worried. They are begging the authorities to trace them,” said Rao.

The BRS leader said that he had asked the Collector and SP to try to provide details to the family members. People from other states are working in different places. Family members are extremely worried. “I have instructed the officials to set up a control room and a common phone number. What are they doing now that it has been 5 hours since the accident? The NDRF is working wonderfully to trace those involved in the accident. But, the government and the authorities are working irresponsibly. Set up special officers, keep an attendance list,” said the BRS leader.

Harish Rao alleged that the Collector saying one number and the SP was saying another number when it comes to how many people were on duty. He said that the injured were being admitted to primary care hospitals. If they have 30 per cent burns, why are they not being sent to corporate hospitals, he asked, advising the government to send them to AIG, CARE, and Apollo hospitals.