Kottayam medical college incident: Minister Vasavan claims search efforts not delayed

Kerala Cooperation Minister V N Vasavan on Friday rejected allegations that search and rescue operations at the collapsed portion of the Kottayam Medical College were delayed or stopped and termed such claims as ''politically motivated''.

The minister's statement came amidst intensified protests from the opposition Congress and BJP, who demanded Health Minister Veena George's resignation, a day after a 52-year-old mother of two died in the building collapse, alleging her death was 'tantamount to murder' due to delayed search operations.

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief Sunny Joseph alleged that ministers Vasavan and George, who arrived at the scene after the incident, tried to ''whitewash'' and ''simplify'' it, resulting in the search operations being delayed.

He claimed that George had no moral or legal right to continue in office.

Joseph also accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of not even trying to carry out a preliminary inquiry about the incident after he arrived at the hospital.

''There has been serious dereliction of duty and criminal negligence in the matter,'' he alleged after visiting the family of the deceased woman, Bindu, at their residence in Kottayam on Friday.

He said that the Congress would hold peaceful protests in connection with the incident and demanded a judicial probe into it.

Bindu (52) died and three others -- Aleena (11), Amal Pradeep (20), and Jinu Saji (38) -- were injured in the incident.

Earlier in the day, speaking to reporters, Minister Vasavan said that his and George's remarks about no one being there in the collapsed structure were based on information provided by hospital authorities, including the medical superintendent.

Vasavan claimed that on reaching the site, he immediately told the fire and rescue personnel to arrange an excavator or JCB to clear the debris and look for anyone trapped underneath it, but it took time to bring the heavy machinery there as a path had to be created for it.

''So, rescue operations were neither stopped nor delayed. Such allegations are politically motivated and made for political gains,'' he contended.

Meanwhile, heartbreaking scenes were seen at Bindu's home where the grief of her family was evident from their tear-filled eyes, dejected and blank stares and loud cries as they sat alongside her remains, which were kept for public display for relatives, friends and neighbours to pay their last respects.

The last rites of Bindu are expected to be held in the second half of the day.

The toilet complex adjacent to wards 10, 11, and 14 at Kottayam Government Medical College collapsed on Thursday while the hospital was in the process of fully shifting operations to the newly constructed surgical block.

Following the incident, the Congress-led UDF opposition had alleged delays in launching the rescue operation and claimed that search efforts only began seriously after relatives of the missing woman raised concerns.

The opposition UDF had also mounted pressure on Minister George to resign and sought a judicial probe into the incident.

Bindu from Thalayolaparambu in Kottayam district was pulled out from the debris more than two hours after the incident and was declared dead.

The woman's family on Friday claimed that till now no ministers or anyone from the government had contacted them. Her husband claimed that he was present at the hospital after the incident, but none of the ministers even bothered to get in touch with him.

He also said that his late wife was the sole earner in the family and it would be difficult to move forward in life without her.

Minister Vasavan said that discussions were held with the woman's family through government representatives and their demands -- including a quick post mortem -- were considered.

''They were also told that their other demands with regard to the woman's daughter's treatment and compensation for the family will also be considered by the government,'' he said.

Bindu was there at the medical college as her daughter was awaiting surgery.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)