Shimla, February 14
Six labourers were buried alive, 15 injured and at least two reported missing as a huge rolling mass of boulders hit Kaksthal village on the right bank of the Sutlej in Kinnaur tribal district, around 180 km from here, today.
According to eyewitnesses in Panvi village, located right across the mishap site on the opposite bank, the valley reverberated with a thundering sound around 7 am as big boulders came hurtling down from the hill. All they could see was a pall of dust rising from the site and it did not take them long to understand what had happened as the area had, of late, become prone to such incidents. One person was killed and two injured after being hit by falling boulders three days ago.
The boulders razed some of the improvised sheds erected for labourers working for contractors at the 1,000-MW Karcham Wangtu project being executed by the Jaypee Company.
The death toll could go up as the exact number of workers lodged in the sheds was not known. They were, in fact, working for a sub-contractor and did not have any identity card or job card. However, Nichar Subdivisional Magistrate Sanjay Sharma said there were 45 persons in the area at the time of the incident. While one body was recovered from the river, five were extricated from the debris. The falling boulders caused panic among the people, some of whom jumped into the river.
Panvi resident said such incidents were taking place because of the large-scale underground and over-ground construction work being carried out for the project in the fragile hill ranges. Some of them said they heard the boom of an explosion around 6.30 am atop the hill where work of a transmission line was under way.
While 11 injured persons were under treatment at Tapri, four were referred to the Rampur Civil Hospital. The next of the kin of those killed were given Rs 10,000 as immediate relief while the injured were given Rs 5,000 each.
Local BJP MLA Tejwant Negi said 45 labourers were living in 19 tin sheds. Out
of them, 23 managed to run away to safety in the nick of time. Labourers maintained the boulder-slide was triggered due to a blast conducted by the company, while officials of the company termed it a routine landslide. The district administration also maintained that prima facie it appeared to be a landslide. Labourers also alleged that they were not shifted out of the landslide-prone area to a safer place by the contractor despite repeated pleas.
Those killed in the incident were identified as Dil Bahadur, Zor Sunar, Sher Bahadur and Bale Tamang, Maneka and Babloo. Changur Chaudhary and Roop Lal have been missing after the incident.
