Vidisha incident: PM express anguish, announces ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh for kin of deceased

On Friday, July 16, nearly thirty people had fallen into a well while trying to rescue a boy in Madhya Pradesh's Vidisha district of which eleven dead bodies have been recovered after the rescue operation. Responding to the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed his condolences and announced an ex gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each from Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) would be given to the next of kin of those who lost their lives. 

Taking to Twitter the official handle of PMO stated, "Anguished by the tragedy in Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh. My condolences to the bereaved families. An ex-gratia of ₹ 2 lakh each from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of those who lost their lives: PM @narendramodi". 

Financial aid from the state

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each for the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the incident. He also said that compensation of Rs 50,000 will be given to the injured along with free medical treatment.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan had been sharing the update on the rescue operation over Twitter and has said that the government stands with the family affected by the incident. 

Vidisha well tragedy

On July 13, a young boy fell into the well at Lal Patar village in Vidisha district's Ganj Basoda area when the local residents to rescue the boy climbed down the well while others stood surrounding the region. Unable to take the weight of the people, the parapet collapsed as all of them fell into the well which is about 50 feet deep and had water up to 20 feet. 

Following this, a tractor was deployed for the rescue operation that too skidded into the well with four policemen. 

After the completion of the rescue operation, eleven are found dead and 19 persons brought out alive from the well are undergoing treatment at hospitals in Vidisha and Basoda.

West Bengal well incident

On July 10, a 27-year-old man's body was found inside a well in West Bengal's Paschim Bardhaman district. 

The deceased has been identified as local resident Raju Rakshit whose body was recovered from a well near a Kali temple in the Modbhati area under the jurisdiction of Asansol South police station.

(Image credit: ANI/PTI)