Box: Kin of 7 workers killed in
flashflood await relief
1 Eight workers had died in a flashflood triggered by a cloudburst at the Indira Priyadarshini Hydropower Project site at Khaniara on June 25, 2025.
2 The state government had announced Rs 4 lakh disaster relief for each worker.
3 The TUCC has claimed that only one bereaved family has reportedly received the relief amount, while kin of seven deceased workers continue to await compensation.
4 Besides, none of 274 workers engaged in construction activities at the Khaniara hydropower project are registered with the EPFO or workers’ welfare board, the TUCC claimed.
The Himachal Pradesh State Committee of the Trade Union Coordination Centre (TUCC) has accused the state government and labour-related departments of depriving lakhs of workers of legally mandated welfare benefits and social security schemes.
TUCC state general secretary Ravinder Singh Ravi alleged that relief and welfare benefits meant for workers and their families were being delayed or withheld due to administrative negligence and alleged collusion between officials and industrial establishments.
Ravi claimed that despite the state government’s announcement of Rs 4 lakh disaster relief for each worker, who died in the June 25, 2025, cloudburst-triggered flash flood at the Indira Priyadarshini Hydropower Project site at Khaniara in Dharamsala, most affected families had not received the assistance. Eight workers had died in the disaster. However, only one bereaved family had reportedly received the disaster relief amount, while the dependents of the remaining deceased workers continue to await compensation, Ravi said.
He added that representations submitted to both the Kangra deputy commissioner and the SDM to release the compensation had failed to yield any result.
The union leader further alleged that applications of eligible construction workers under the Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Board had remained pending for nearly three years. He added that several of these applications pertain to deceased workers whose dependents are awaiting welfare benefits.
Ravi also accused the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), Palampur, and the Labour Department of failing to enforce labour welfare laws. He said according to the official records, at least 274 workers are engaged in construction activities at the Khaniara hydropower project. However, not a single worker had been registered with the Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, nor provident fund contributions had been deducted, he added.
“If a project employing hundreds of workers has no registered construction worker and no provident fund coverage, it reflects the extent of injustice being meted out to labourers,” Ravi said, claiming that the information had emerged through official records obtained by the union.
He further urged the Labour Minister of Himachal Pradesh to constitute an independent inquiry committee to investigate alleged violations of labour laws and denial of social security benefits.
Ravi also sought representation for the TUCC in the proposed panel so that accountability of officials and employers could be examined.