WORLD OF CRISIS

Jun 10, 2014

Hyderabad Engineering Students Swept Away In Beas River

Hyderabad engineering students had no warning of gushing waters 


Distraught father Bonath Shekar Naik shows a portrait of his son Rambabu who is feared dead in the tragedy
One day after a wall of water swept away and killed 24 Hyderabad engineering students on a hill tour, Himachal authorities on Monday suspended three officers of the Larji dam project from where the floodgates were opened, catching the sightseers on the Beas riverbank off-guard. As evidence mounted, along with anger and grief, over callousness being the main cause of the deaths, Himachal chief minister Virbhadra Singh ordered a high-level probe and vowed to punish officials who had turned the faucets to release water. The three project officials suspended for negligence were resident engineer Mandeep Singh, executive engineer MS Dadwalia and operator Harwansh Lal of Larji Hydroelectric projects. The rulebook says dam authorities must inform the state and the local administration on when water is being released so that people downstream can be alerted about the rise in water levels. But Mandi deputy commissioner Devesh Kumar said, "I did not receive any phone call from the authorities and I have no idea if they sent a written communique."

With survivors from VNR Vignana Jyothi Engineering Institute and locals in the Mandi area accusing Larji project officials of releasing 250 cumecs of water without proper warning on Sunday, knowing full-well that crowds throng the banks in the peak tourist season, dam authorities rejected charges of negligence, saying they were within their rights to release waters in a hurry. Dam officers, who did not want to be named, claimed they had sounded the mandatory hooters in time. Angry locals, however, said the hooter was sounded after the accident as a face-saver. The spot, about 35km from Kullu, from where the 24 engineering students of Hyderabad were swept away by the swelling Beas is known for its scenic beauty and regularly draws tourists to the edge of the water. It is for this reason that the dam authorities should have been extra careful, say locals. Deena Chand, a local, said, "They are lying that they had sounded the hooter in time. We heard it only after the students were swept away."

photo of students who were swept away in Beas river in Himachal Pradesh
Gayatri Devi, a resident of Thalout village, said, "Tourists come to enjoy themselves. They want to touch the river and the water was at a safe level initially. Authorities have made a big mistake." P C Negi, managing director of Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Ltd, which operates Larji, said, "In emergencies, we release water without informing the authorities and by sounding hooters to alert people downstream". He insisted that on Sunday northern grid had informed the state load dispatch committee about less demand due to which power generation was reduced across projects in the state. This forced them to release the water.
"It was not that water was released from Larji dam alone. It was also released from Bhakra, Baspa and Bassi projects. The alert was sounded but the students could not understand its meaning. They arrived at the spot just 30 minutes before water was released," he added. "Had the water not been released, it could have damaged the dam," he claimed.

VNR Engineering Girls Students Washed Away in Himachal Pradesh
Local residents however are angry. Himalaya Niti Abhiyan president Kulbushan Upmanyu has asked chief minister Virbhadra Singh to register an FIR against the official who released the water without any warning. "The state government should apologize to the families of deceased," he said. Union HRD minister Smriti Irani, who travelled to Mandi, shared the local anger. "There is a primary and secondary school close to the accident site and locals are concerned about the safety of the children," she said, urging the local government to heed the local fears.

Routine broken

Locals of Thalout, Shalanala and other surrounding villages allege that Larji hydropower project authorities normally released water after 9pm. This time they released it around 6pm without sounding the mandatory hooters in time. "We did not hear any hooter before the students arrived," local Shiv Lal alleged.

Louder hooters soon

Hooters with higher frequency will now be installed at Larji dam site. At present three hooters with a range of 1 to 1.5km have been installed. The state electricity board managing director P C Negi said that hooters of 2 to 3km sound frequency would be installed along the riverbank to ensure the safety of people downstream.

Hyderabad engineering students had no warning of gushing waters

One day after a wall of water swept away and killed 24 Hyderabad engineering students on a hill tour, Himachal authorities suspended three officers of the Larji dam project from where the floodgates were opened, catching the sightseers on the Beas riverbank off-guard.

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