District admn fails to set up control room

NANGAL ( SAHARANPUR) : Even after more than 60 deaths in hooch tragedy in Meerut and Saharanpur in the past three days, the district administration has failed to set up a control room or appoint a nodal officer to monitori the tragedy and to provide information to the affected families.

Sarvesh Kumar, a resident of Umahi village, said, “What was necessary at this point? Drive to nail bootleggers or to provide adequate treatment to sick persons?”. He said even three days after the tragedy ,the district administration had not bothered to set up a control room or appoint a nodal officer to provide consolidated and authentic information about dead and sick people. “We are collecting information by our own efforts and helping victims’ families,” said Sarvesh.

Rahul and Nikki of the same village said, “We don’t know how and whom to contact and collect information about people under treatment in different hospitals and those who have lost their lives during treatment.”

Meanwhile, Congress leader Imran Masood blamed officials for hiding information of dead people and termed the act as insensitive and negligent.

When sub divisional officer of Deoband, Ritu Punia was contacted and asked about existence of any control room, she suggested to contact Saharanpur district magistrate’s office in this regard.

However, despite repeated efforts, the DM could not be contacted over his phone.

Alarmed over the issue, commissioner of Saharanpur Chandra Prakash Tripathi, IG Sharad Sachan, DM Alok Kumar Pandey and SSP Dinesh Kumar convened a meeting with village pradhan under Nangal police station area, on Saturday.

They appealed them to help officials in nailing bootleggers and sensitise people about ill effect of spurious liquor in their respective villages.