No Jobs In Assam, They Went To Goa To Find Work: Families Of Fire Victims

Families of the three men from Assam who died in the Goa nightclub fire on Monday said their children were forced to migrate to the western state due to the lack of livelihood opportunities in their area.

Now, the families would wait for their bodies to reach home on Tuesday, as a senior minister said.

The three were working at the nightclub kitchen as cooks when a fire broke out shortly after midnight on Sunday, killing at least 25 people and injuring six others.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, in a post on X, said, "Deeply anguished by the tragic loss of lives in the Arpora fire incident in Goa, where three of our own lost their precious lives. Shri Rahul Tanti, Cachar, Shri Manojit Mal, Cachar, Shri Diganta Patir, Dhemaji." "Offering my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. Praying for the swift recovery of all those injured," he said.

The bodies of Manojit Mal (24) and Rahul Tanti (32) have been handed over to relatives who were also working in Goa, while 23-year-old Diganta Patir's elder brother, who works in Kerala, has left for Goa to collect the body.

Both state governments are coordinating to ensure that the victims' remains are brought to Assam without delay, and the bodies of the three will reach home on Tuesday, said Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Minister Kaushik Rai.

Rai said that he had spoken to District Collector of North Goa Ankit Yadav, who informed him that post-mortem examinations have been completed and transportation arrangements finalised.

The minister visited the homes of the two Cachar victims, offered condolences on behalf of the government and extended financial assistance in his personal capacity.

He said that the Central Government has announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh for each family, while the Goa Government has approved Rs 5 lakh.

Relatives of Mal and Tanti alleged that the two had to leave their village and the state because of the lack of employment options.

Both belonged to the tea tribe community, and villagers said poor conditions in the tea gardens of Barak Valley had forced many youths to migrate for work.

Family members said that Mal was the sole earning member of the household and had visited home only five months ago to help arrange his younger sister's marriage.

"He worked hard in Goa and was supporting us. Our lives had begun to improve because of him, but God has been cruel to us," his father said.

Two siblings of Tanti, who also work in Goa, have collected his body, but they lack the financial means to bring it home.

"We cannot believe he has gone. When the call came around 2:30 am, we thought he was injured. Later, his brothers confirmed his death," his father Banul Tanti said.

He left behind two daughters and a two-month-old son, His wife Sukriti said.

"We were waiting for him to return soon. Instead, his body is returning. My world is shattered. I don't know how I will raise the children," she said.

Locals have pointed out that the tragedy exposes a widening socio-economic shift in Assam's tea garden belts.

''Wages are stagnant, and with poor living conditions, younger generations are increasingly migrating outside Assam for work in hotels, restaurants, security services and other low-paying jobs, rather than joining tea gardens like their parents,'' said Guru Prasad Malah, a local.

Families of both victims said tea garden wages were inadequate to support their households, and over 50 per cent of the youth from their area now work in Goa, Bengaluru and other cities.

''We have almost no opportunities here. Tea gardens are struggling, and there is no major industry in the region. So the youth migrate. They work as home guards, cooks and in other low-profile jobs where safety is minimal," Malah said.

The residents also expressed resentment over the alleged lack of response from elected representatives.

"The deaths happened on Saturday night, and the news was everywhere, but no MLA or minister came to even offer condolences. This shows how ignored we are," the locals alleged.

Meanwhile, Patir's mother said both her sons were employed in distant states -- Goa and Kerala -- as livelihood opportunities were scarce in Dhemaji, a district frequently hit by floods and erosion.

She said that she lives with her daughter, and there are no male members of the family in the village home.

A jam-packed nightclub in North Goa turned into a death trap after midnight on Sunday as a massive fire tore through it, claiming 25 lives and leaving six injured while raising serious questions about 'illegal' operations and flouting of safety norms.

While police said that a cylinder blast seemed to have started the blaze, a tourist who survived the tragedy claimed that fireworks were set off when dancers were performing, and it was the likely cause.

Most of the deaths were caused by suffocation, as the victims, many of them employees, got trapped on the ground floor of 'Birch by Romeo Lane' nightclub at Arpora, 25 km from Panaji, a fire official said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)