Vasan provides financial aid to dependents of deceased port employees

Rs 35.73 crore financial aid for 868 dependents sanctioned

Chennai:

As many as 685 dependents of deceased port trust employees  received cash compensation from the Union Shipping Minister G K Vasan after their name was stuck off from the waiting list for compassionate appointments.

After their name was deleted from the waitlist by department of personnel and training, the Union Shipping Ministry directed Chennai Port trust to put up a proposal worth Rs 35.73 crore as financial aid for 868 dependents of the deceased, Vasan said during the presentation of cheques ceremony.

Subsequently, a committee was constituted and a lump sum compensation of Rs 35,000 for each completed waiting year subject to a minimum of Rs 1.25 lakh and a maximum of Rs 4.9 lakh was provided to 685 dependents.

Compensation could not be provided to remaining dependents due to legal issues, said a Port Trust employee.

Interestingly, Chennaiu Port became the second port after Visakhapatnam Port to pay such compensation to the dependents of the deceased employees whose names have been removed from waiting list for compassionate appointment after three years.

Vasan also said that his ministry has issued an order on corporate social responsibility under which ports have been asked to spend one to three per cent of their profits for projects relating to welfare of society. He said Chennai Port which is already running a school at Tondiarpet and is engaged in other welfare activities will be spending a sum of rs 77 lakh additionally under corporate social responsibility.

Later talking to reporters, he hit out at Karnataka for failing to abide by supre Court directive in releasing water to Tamil Nadu. He also urged the protesters in Koodankulam to end the agitation to help the state tide over power crisis.

Congress MP of North Chennai T K S Elangovan, Port Trust Chairman Atulya Mishra and Ennore Port Trust chairman S Velumani were present on the occasion.