Kerala: Youth Congress workers stage protest over Kottayam building collapse

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], July 5 (ANI): A group of Youth Congress workers staged a protest march outside the official residence of Kerala Health Minister Veena George in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday, demanding her resignation over the building collapse at the Kottayam Medical College.
Police used water cannons to disperse the workers of the Youth Congress and detained them.


This comes after a building block collapsed at the Government Medical College Hospital in Kottayam, claiming an individual's life and injuring two others on July 3.
Earlier on Friday, a group of Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) youth wing workers also staged a protest march outside the Kerala Health Minister's residence in Thiruvananthapuram.
BJP workers also held a protest on Friday, demanding Minister George's resignation over the issue.
Minister for Ports, Cooperation, and Devaswoms, VN Vasavan, described the Kottayam Medical College building collapse as an 'unfortunate' incident and announced that the Kerala government would provide immediate financial assistance of Rs 50,000 to the affected family.
He said, "CM visited the spot yesterday itself. Rs 50,000 will be given as immediate help to the family. The State Cabinet will discuss and decide on financial help for the family. Kottayam Medical College is one of the best-performing hospitals in India. The incident is unfortunate."
He further clarified that there was no lapse from the government side and added, "Did not ask to stop rescue operation, it was for making way to let the Hitachi excavator enter. The rescue was only possible with the help of a machine."
"The health minister said yesterday that nobody was stuck there because the hospital superintendent told the minister that the building was not in use," he further said.
Shifting the blame on the previous government of the United Democratic Front (UDF), he said, "In 2013, the PWD (Public Works Department) submitted a report about the condition of the building. Then the UDF government did not act on it." (ANI)