The All-India Defence Employees’ Federation has demanded a compensation of Rs.1 crore to the kin of eight civilian defence employees from the city who are among those missing in the An-32 disaster.
Federation general secretary C. Srikumar has termed as unfortunate the government not being able to trace the missing personnel after nearly three weeks.
At a press meet, he demanded a high-level inquiry into the reasons for the accident and also the airworthiness of the aircraft.
He said that instead of inviting 100 per cent foreign direct investment in defence production, fighter aircraft and helicopters should be produced indigenously. The outdated models had to go to the former states that comprised the USSR even now for overhaul, he regretted.
Rules flouted
AITUC district vice-president S.N. Moulaali alleged that rules were flouted by making the civilian employees fly in the transport craft. Alleging that employees were forced to fly by transport craft to take up maintenance works in the Andaman and Nicobar islands, he demanded that action be taken against officials responsible for forcing them to do so.
The employees were eligible for allowance to go by ship and if it were paid, it would have given them the option of flying by paying the balance fare from their pocket.
In case of any untoward happening, uniformed defence personnel were getting around Rs.1 crore while the civilian employees would get only workmen compensation, he pointed out.
He said the issue was taken to the notice of Director General of Naval Armament, the Chief of Naval Staff and the ENC Chief. It would also be taken up for discussion in the Joint Consultative Machinery.
