Three Labourers Trapped Due to Rising Water Level in Ramganga River

Pithoragarh:  Three labourers were trapped on Monday due to rising water level in the Ramganga River. Torrential rainfall in the Nachni, Tejam and Napar valley had increased the water level at 7 pm due to which the operator of the Poklane machine and two labourers engaged in embankment construction got stuck in the middle of the river.

On receiving information about this, SI Vinod Bhatt of the Thal police station, police personnel and local youth rushed to the spot. Police constable Jagdish contacted the machine operator over a telephonic call following which the latter transported the machine to a safe place and reverted a major accident.

The construction work of embankment (protection wall) costing crores was being carried out under flood protection on the left side of Ramganga river near Dhamigaon in the land area by Didihat Division of Irrigation Department, Pithoragarh. 

Questions have raised against the quality of the security wall whose construction was being carried out by the departmental contractor in the pitch dark of night. It has been alleged that the wall was being constructed without the supervision of departmental officials. 

District Magistrate (DM) of Pithoragarh had permitted to use machines for construction work on the condition that they would not be used before sunrise and after sunset. However, the DM's orders were not being followed. 

Sources said that the depth of the slabs used in the embankment construction were not set as per the rules. The concrete falling in the slab was not being mixed as per the standards. Despite repeated complaints by the locals to the department officials, no action were taken to solve the issue.