PNS | DEHRADUN
The Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Karan Mahara has said that the death of four labourers in an avalanche near Mana in Chamoli district shows that the State government has taken no lesson from the Raini mishap of 2021.
He said that the lives of 55 labourers and employees were in peril due to the avalanche.
Praying for the peace to the departed souls, the PCC president said that all arrangements for the best possible treatment of the injured labourers should be made. He demanded that the government should provide adequate compensation to the families of the dead in the incident. Mahara said that financial assistance should be provided to all the labourers trapped in the avalanche.
He said that the meteorological department had issued prior warning of heavy snowfall in the areas but the authorities failed to heed to this warning and stop the road construction work. The PCC president said that it is distressing that the government has taken no lessons from past experiences.
Appreciating the officers and personnel of the armed forces in rescuing the trapped workers, the PCC president said that they deserve praise for their untiring efforts to save the lives of labourers.
He said that the government should prepare a comprehensive policy on disaster management in the Himalaya. The policy will help in preparing a work plan to deal with such incidents in the future.
He said that uncontrolled and unscientific construction works, tampering with the rivers in sensitive areas affected by landslide and land subsidence and Alaknanda river front works are a threat to the sensitive Himalayan zone. Mahara added that the government should show sensitivity and seek the opinion of scientists on the issue so that a repetition of such accidents is prevented.
