Bariput Hill Collapse: Heavy Rain Stops Rescue Operation

Jeypore: The NDRF team which began its operation on Sunday to rescue the two JCB operators from under a heap of bouldersnear B.Singpur forest area under Borrigumma block in Odisha’s Koraput district, had to stop its work due to heavy rain in the afternoon.

The two JCB operators— Ghanshyam Guru of Deogarh and Sanjay Dash of Athgarh area in Cuttack district— have been stuck under a heap of boulders since evening on May 31.

The rescue operation had begun for the second time at Bariput on Saturday night in the presence of the Koraput collector, deputy collector and other senior district officials. However, despite night-long efforts, the ODRAF and NDRF teams failed in their mission. The district administration had requisitioned a big crane from the NNDS company which was of no use as it could not lift the boulders whose average weight would be around 20-50 tonnes.

The two JCB operators were engaged in excavating boulders in the ongoing Telengiri Irrigation project in Bariput village when the hill caved in around 7 pm on Thursday trapping the JCB vehicles and their operators.

Though a joint team of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and fire brigade officials had begun the rescue operations on Friday morning, they had failed in their efforts.

The Bariput villagers said prior to the incident, the stone mining operation was on for the last two days.

Meanwhile, the distraught family members of the two trapped JCB operators arrived at Bariput on Saturday.

Expressing resentment against the gross apathy of the DD Constructions Ltd which had engaged the workers without ensuring standard operating procedure (SOP) norm, they have lodged a complaint with Ranigada Outpost demanding cancellation of the license of the company.

Meanwhile, Borigumma police are in search of the contractor and other employees of the DD Construction Ltd.