Kolkata

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh and a civic volunteer's job for one member of the family of every person from the state killed in the recent trawler tragedy off the state's coast and the under-construction tunnel disaster in neighbouring Sikkim.

Making the announcement in the state assembly, Adhikari expressed grief over the two tragedies and said the state government would stand by the affected families.

The announcement came after BJP MLA Chandrasekhar Mondal raised the issue of the fishing trawler that went missing in the Bay of Bengal on July 2 with several fishermen on board.

The trawler, based in Shankarpur in Purba Medinipur district, was traced five days later, overturned near Bagher Char off Kakdwip.

"So far, 11 decomposed bodies of fishermen have been recovered from the trawler, while four others are still missing," the chief minister said, describing the incident as a major tragedy.

He said most of the deceased fishermen hailed from the coastal areas of Purba Medinipur, Howrah and Nadia districts.

Adhikari announced that the next of kin of each deceased fisherman would receive Rs 5 lakh financial assistance and that one eligible member from every affected family would be appointed as a civic volunteer in the local police station.

The chief minister also announced the same compensation package for families of West Bengal residents killed in the tunnel disaster in Sikkim.

At least 20 workers were killed and five others remained trapped for over 24 hours after a tunnel under construction collapsed in Sikkim's Namchi district following an explosion of suspected methane gas. Several workers from West Bengal were among those trapped.

Referring to the incident, Adhikari said the state government was closely monitoring the situation and had deputed two MLAs to Sikkim to coordinate with the local administration and oversee assistance to the affected families.

READ MORE: Zakia Soman has reshaped narrative on Muslim women's rights

Rescue operations inside the tunnel continue under difficult conditions, with waterlogging, slush and the presence of methane gas hampering efforts to retrieve the bodies and search for those still trapped.