Two MGNREGA workers, including a woman, were killed and two others injured after a tree collapsed on them in Tripura’s Dhalai district during check dam construction. The district administration has provided compensation and launched an inquiry.
In a tragic incident in Tripura’s hilly Dhalai district, two workers, including a woman engaged under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), lost their lives and two others sustained serious injuries after a large tree fell on them on Wednesday.
The incident occurred at Nailafabari under the Ambassa block, where a group of workers was engaged in digging work for the construction of a check dam. According to officials from the district administration, a big tree suddenly got uprooted and collapsed onto the workers while they were working on government land.
Robert Malsum (22) died on the spot, while three other workers — Juhi Rani Malsum (26), Surjyasa Malsum (35), and Jagat Bhakta Malsum (5) — were rushed to a nearby government hospital. Tragically, Juhi Rani succumbed to her injuries during treatment.
The victims were employed under the MGNREGA scheme, which aims to provide at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment annually to rural households whose members are willing to undertake unskilled manual work. In addition to generating employment, the scheme also supports ecological initiatives such as building check dams, which help reduce soil erosion and manage water flow in hilly and drought-prone regions.
Check dams are vital in regions like Dhalai, where terrain and rainfall patterns can lead to soil degradation and poor water retention. The workers had been engaged in such an effort when nature took a tragic turn.
The local administration has initiated preliminary compensation for the families of the deceased and injured. Authorities have also launched an inquiry into the incident and are evaluating the safety measures adopted during the ongoing work.
The MGNREGA scheme, implemented through a collaboration between the Central and state governments and local Panchayati Raj Institutions, is particularly significant in northeastern states like Tripura. In such regions, the Centre bears 90% of the programme’s cost while the state contributes the remaining 10%.
Officials emphasized that while the scheme has brought significant livelihood improvements in rural areas, strict adherence to safety protocols during physical work is imperative to prevent such unfortunate incidents in the future.
