|
|
|
|
|
Holiday horror in Mandi Dharam Prakash Gupta Tribune News Service Mandi, June 9 The Himachal Government today ordered a high-level inquiry into the mishap in which 24 students from Hyderabad were swept away after water was released from Larji Dam. Divers, ITBP, BSF and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel were engaged in the search operation. The mishap has put a question mark on the safety and flood warning alerts being issued by authorities of hydropower projects in the state. Area residents and the surviving students alleged that water was released without a warning signal. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, who visited the mishap site and met the surviving students, ordered a high-level inquiry to be conducted by Mandi Divisional Commissioner Onkar Sharma. He has been asked to submit a report in the next 15 days. As an immediate action against the callousness of the project authorities in releasing water without proper intimation, three employees, including Executive Engineer (Maintenance) MS Dadhwalia, Resident Engineer Mandeep Singh and fitter Harbans Lal, have been suspended. “Search is on for the missing students. All possible help will be extended to students and if need be, arrangements will be made to airlift the bodies to Hyderabad,” the CM said. Union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani also visited the mishap site to oversee the rescue and relief operations. The 24 students, who were saved from being swept away in the fast currents of the Beas, were lodged in the Hanogi Temple complex last night before being shifted to a hotel in Mandi in the morning. These students and three faculty members left in an Air India aircraft accompanied by Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju in the evening. Family members of the missing and four dead students also arrived in the same aircraft this afternoon.Telangana Home Minister Nayni Narasimha Reddy and senior officials also visited the spot. Principal Secretary (Power) Sushil Negi said the Larji Project authorities released water after issuing a warning through a siren. “Since the water level had risen in the dam due to high melting, initially 50 cumecs and later 150 and 200 cumecs were released,” he said. The project authorities resumed generation at 7.50 pm, he said. He submitted a detailed report to the CM and Chief Secretray P Mitra today. Rescue operation continues
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
