Hubballi (Karnataka) [India], January 24 : Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday visited Suchirayu Hospital in Hubballi and enquired about the condition of people injured after a cutout collapsed during preparations for a public programme on Mantur Road.
The incident occurred while preparations were underway for the 'House Patta distribution programme', which is scheduled to be attended by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. A large cutout being installed at the venue reportedly collapsed suddenly, leaving three people injured.
After completing a separate programme to distribute new homes to the homeless, the Chief Minister proceeded to Suchirayu Hospital, where he met the injured people and discussed their medical condition with the attending doctors.
The injured have been identified as Shankar Hadapad (28), a resident of Byahatti; Shanta Karakatti (60), a resident of Hubballi; and Manjunath (33), a resident of Lakshmi Nagar in Dharwad.
Expressing concern over the incident, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah directed officials to ensure that all injured receive free and the best possible medical treatment, including medicines and other necessary care, until their full recovery.
According to officials, the injured were preparing the venue for the 'House Patta distribution programme,' under which allotment letters are to be handed over to beneficiaries who have received houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. According to official data, around 42,000 houses have been built under the scheme.
While two of the injured were shifted to Suchirayu Hospital for treatment, one person was taken to KMC Hospital in Hubballi following the accident.
District Health Officer Satish Honkeri provided details of the incident and the condition of the injured. He said, "Three members are injured, out of which Karketty is from Hubballi, one more is Shankar Harpad, who is 28 years old, and the third is Manjunath Murnikar, age 33. These two are labourers, while Karketty is an outsider. We immediately got the information, out of which two are in Suchirayi hospital, while one is in KMC hospital in Hubballi."
Officials said that the condition of the injured is being closely monitored and that necessary medical care is being extended. The local administration has also begun reviewing safety arrangements at the event site to prevent such incidents in the future.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge are scheduled to attend the housing-related programme later in the day, officials said.