Barge deaths: Pradhan should quit, says Sena

After Congress and NCP, the Shiv Sena too has demanded the resignation of Union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan holding him responsible for deaths of people on board barge P305 that sank off the Mumbai coast during the cyclone Tauktae.

“People were left to drown in Mumbai Sea and this act amounts to culpable homicide. The Tautkae cyclone cannot be held responsible for this. But who remained asleep despite getting the cyclone warning are criminals,” said the Sena in an editorial in its mouthpiece Saamana on Saturday.

Barge P-305, which housed personnel engaged in maintenance work of an offshore oil drilling platform of the Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC), sank on Monday evening during the cyclone. The official death toll in the tragedy has reached 60.

However, the Sena said that 75 workers have died, of which 49 bodies have been found and 26 are still missing.

The Uddhav Thackerayled party slammed Mr Pradhan saying he was conspicuous by his absence during the tragedy. “Will Dharmendra Pradhan quit owning moral responsibility for the death of innocent people? Do petroleum minister, ONGC chairman, its board of directors have any responsibility or not?” it asked.

It was a case of culpable homicide as ONGC did not take the cyclone

● BARGE P-305, which housed personnel engaged in maintenance work of an offshore oil drilling platform of the Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC), sank on Monday evening during the cyclone.

● THE toll in the tragedy has reached 60.

warnings seriously and recall the 700 workers on the barge. The callous approach of ONGC administration is surprising. Hence a culpable homicide case should be filed against it for its negligence, the Sena said.

Had the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard not launched search and rescue operations, all the 700 people would have drowned in the sea. These workers may be employees of a private company, but they were doing oil rigging for ONGC. Hence, it was the duty of the ONGC administration to protect them, said the Sena, which heads the MVA Government in Maharashtra.

Earlier, the Congress and NCP – the other two constituents of the MVA – had demanded the resignation of Mr Pradhan holding him responsible for the mishap.

However, the BJP alleged that the MVA is politicising the issue only to protect Afcons Infrastructure, which had chartered the barge. Party leader Ashish Shelar demanded that Afcons be charged with culpable homicide. He alleged the state government and the police are trying to shield owners of the firm.