PETROLEUM MIN SHOULD RESIGN, SAY CONG, SENA

MUMBAI: Terming the barge incident wherein at least 37 workers drowned in Arabian Sea a “man-made tragedy” and a failure of the Narendra Modi-led Union government to avert it, Maharashtra Congress has demanded resignation of petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan on moral grounds.

Former chief minister and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan asked as to why the 600 people on-board the barge were not brought to offshore immediately after cyclone warnings. He said the responsibility should be fixed for criminal negligence.

State Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant sought Pradhan’s resignation. “The tragedy in which 37 people lost their lives is man-made. More than 38 people are still missing. This is clearly a man-made tragedy as warning of cyclone was given in advance. It is the responsibility of the people who put the lives of 700 people in danger, and action should be taken against the people responsible. The moral responsibility should be taken by the minister by resigning from the post,” he said.

Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant, in a letter to PM Modi, sought resignation of Pradhan and ONGC CMD. Sawant demanded an inquiry under a retired Supreme Court or high court judge over the “callousness” of ONGC management and the ministry.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), too, has demanded that a culpable homicide case be registered against ONGC officials. “We want the responsibility of the officials concerned to be fixed. They should be suspended with immediate effect and should also be booked for culpable homicide,” said Nawab Malik, minority affairs minister and NCP chief spokesperson.