15 J’khand workers feared missing
The state govt has issued helpline numbers for stranded J’khand residents
RANCHI: At least fifteen labourers are feared to have gone missing following a glacial burst in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, which triggered an avalanche and massive flooding in Alaknanda and Dhauliganga rivers on Sunday morning, officials said on Monday.
The Jharkhand government on Monday issued helpline numbers for people of the state stranded at Chamoli.
Chief minister Hemant Soren also tweeted urging stranded Jharkhand residents in Uttarakhand to contact the helpline
numbers.
Of the total, nine labourers hail from Bethat village under Kisko block of Jharkhand’s Lohardaga district, while six hail from Gola block of Ramgarh district. All of them were reportedly working on NTPC Limited’s Tapovan project in Chamoli district. NTPC Limited’s two power projectsTapovan-Vishnugad hydel project and Rishi Ganga hydel project- suffered extensive damage
in the disaster with several labourers trapped in tunnels as water came rushing in.
State disaster management secretary Amitabh Kaushal said, “The Lohardaga administration has been communicated in this regard. We are trying to contact authorities concerned in Uttarakhand.”
Lohardaga deputy commissioner (DC) Dilip Kumar Toppo said, “The village panchyat committee members gave us information about nine labourers from the village engaged in NTPC’s hydel project in Chamoli. But, they could not be contacted since Sunday morning.”
“I have talked to the NTPC in-charge there, who said rescue operation is on. I also tried to contact district magistrate of Chamoli, but he is busy on site,” the DC said.
The nine workers have been identified as Jyotish Bakhla, Manjnu Bakhla, Urbanush Bakhla, Sunil Bakhla, Nemhas Bakhla, Rabindra Oraon, Deepak Kujur, Vikky Bhagat and Prem Oraon. Bethat panchayat committee member, Anmol Tirkey said, “All the nine people left for Chamoli on January 23 and reached there on January 25.”
Ramgarh DC Sandeep Kumar said, “We got information about six people from Gola block in the district are missing. We are verifying it.’