Stalin blames 'negligence' by administration for TN wall

DMK president M K Stalin on Tuesday blamed 'negligence' by ministers concerned and district authorities for the compund wall collapse tragedy that claimed 17 lives near here, claiming they failed to act on time on complaints about safety of the structure. Despite complaints from the villagers about the stability of the wall, the district collector and officials failed to take action, resulting in the incident, he said.

He was talking to reporters after visiting the Nadur village and consoling the bereaved families of the 17 people who were killed in their sleep when a portion of the wall collapsed on their houses on Monday. Without naming anyone, he blamed ministers and officials for the tragedy and sought a detailed inquiry into it.

Condemning the police action against the people, who were agitated over the deaths at the Government Hospital, Stalin said strict action should be taken against those responsible for the brutal attack on the villagers. He also urged the government to increase the solatium, provide government jobs to the members of families and also construct houses.

Stalin, who was accompanied by DMK Nilgiris MP and former union minister A Raja, also asked the authorities to arrest the land owner who had erected the 15-ft high wall adjacent to the houses. On Monday, at least 17 people, including ten women and two children, were killed in their sleep when a portion of a private compound wall collapsed on a row of tiled-roof houses in Nadur village.

Chief Minister K Palaniswami condoled the deaths in the wall collapse and announced a relief of Rs 4 lakh each to their families from the State Disaster Relief Fund..