Manikaran tragedy: NDRF warns of more rock slips

Seven pilgrims, all from Rogla village in Punjab’s Sangrur district, died while 11 are injured, two of them seriously, after a boulder ripped off the massive sarai bhawan of the Manikaran Gurdwara.

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Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), called for rescue operations on Tuesday, conducted a recce at the mountain and informed the local administration of possible rock-slips at the same site because the hill is unstable.

“The NDRF personnel were asked to survey the mountain and determine if there were chances of another such calamity. I have also written to the state geologist to send teams to study the rock structure and the possibilities of boulders falling. We may either have to take some measures to prevent the rocks from falling or will have to dismantle loose rock,” said Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kanwar.

It is the gurdwara committee, however, that is under the scanner over the tragedy. “The whole structure seems to have been built without any approval. It’s sheer luck that the tragedy occurred during the day or the death toll could have been very high,” DC Kanwar said.

The sub-divisional magistrate at Kullu has sent two notices to the Gurudwara management body and has warned legal action in case of non-compliance. The SDM has directed the Gurudwara committee to submit papers, if any, relating to approvals obtained for the construction of the affected building. The Gurudwara committee has been given a month to reply to the notice.

“If the building is illegal, it will attract legal provisions for endangering lives,” said a police officer at Kullu. The deputy commissioner has also written to all SDMs asking them to send notices to all institutions and religious bodies seeking details about constructions they had raised and the permissions taken.

“All the buildings and premises where there is chance of a lot of people visiting will be covered under the move as there have been reports about encroachments on forest and government land including national highways,” DC Kanwar said.