Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh): Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday reached the Hallett hospital in Kanpur to meet those injured in the tractor-trolley accident that had claimed 26 lives.
The chief minister was accompanied by Director General of Police D.S. Chauhan and principal secretary home Sanjay Prasad. UP Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana was also present.
The chief minister directed the officials to ensure proper treatment of the injured persons. He said that the elected representatives of the area were arranging for the last rites of the deceased.
Five police personnel, including the station officer, have been suspended for laxity in duty.
The chief minister told reporters that the state government would give a sum Rs two lakh each to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured persons. A similar amount has been announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Yogi Adityanath, meanwhile, said that road safety was of prime importance and he has asked the transport department to create awareness among all stakeholders. He appealed to people not to use tractor trolleys as a mode of transport.
At least 26 people were killed while several injured after a tractor-trolley carrying devotees overturned and fell into a pond near a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur district on Saturday evening.
The devotees, all residents of Kortha village under Sadh police circle, had gone to the Chandrika Devi temple in Fatehpur in the tractor-trolley. There were about 40 people in the vehicle. While returning, the trolley overturned into a roadside pond between Sadh and Gambhirpur village.
–IANS