Kerala govt offers Rs 10 lakh to kin of woman killed in hospital building collapse

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government on Thursday decided to provide Rs 10 lakh as financial assistance to the family of the woman who died in the collapse of a portion of the Kottayam Medical College building earlier this month.

It also decided to recommend to the Travancore Devaswom Board that a suitable job be given to the woman's son.

The decisions were taken at a Cabinet meeting held during the day, a statement from the Chief Minister's Office said.

The Cabinet resolved to provide financial assistance from the Chief Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund.

Bindu (52), who was accompanying her hospitalised daughter, died after a toilet complex adjacent to wards 10, 11, and 14 at Kottayam Government Medical College collapsed last week, trapping her under the debris.

Three others were injured in the incident, which sparked widespread protests across the state, with demands for Health Minister Veena George's resignation.

While the Congress and BJP called the death "tantamount to murder" and intensified their protests, state ministers—including V N Vasavan, Saji Cherian, P A Mohammed Riyas, and V Sivankutty—dismissed the allegations as "politically motivated".