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4 dead, several feared trapped in Haryana mine landslide
A rescue operation by district administration was underway and several rescue teams, including from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), have been pressed into service, Haryana home minister Anil Vij said.
Rohtak: Four people were killed and many feared trapped after a landslide at Dadam mine in Haryana’s Bhiwani district on Saturday, police said.
A rescue operation by district administration was underway and several rescue teams, including from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), have been pressed into service, Haryana home minister Anil Vij said.
“I am deeply saddened by the accident that happened at the mining site in Haryana’s Bhiwani district. Rescue operation is being carried out by the administration. NDRF team has been called from Ghaziabad, SDRF team from Madhuban and an army unit from Hisar have been called. So far, four people have died,” Vij said in a tweet.
Police have so far identified the three deceased as Sanjay Kumar, a resident of Jind, Toffan Singh from Jharkhand and Vijender Kumar, a resident of Bhiwani’s Tosham tehsil. Two people were rescued and rushed to a private hospital in Hisar, where they are undergoing treatment, police said.
“Rescue operation is underway and four poclain, as many dumpers and other machines are buried in the rubble. A team of doctors has reached at the site to provide medical assistance to the injured. Few people are also feared to be trapped,” Bhiwani superintendent of police Ajit Singh Shekhawat said.
Large-scale mining operations are carried out in the hills of Khanak and Dadam in Bhiwani’s Tosham assembly constituency. Two months ago, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned mining in the area due to rising pollution levels.
Some eyewitnesses said mining was again started on Friday after the NGT’s nod a day before. “We speculate that explosions might be made to fulfil the shortage of building material, which led to the landslide,” a local resident said, requesting anonymity.
Expressing grief over the incident, chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said he was in constant touch with the district administration to ensure swift rescue operations. “Saddened by the unfortunate landslide accident in Dadam mining zone at Bhiwani. I am in constant touch with the local administration to ensure swift rescue operations and immediate assistance to the injured,” he said in a tweet.
Earlier in the day, Haryana agriculture minister JP Dalal, who is an MLA from the neighbouring Loharu constituency, reached the spot. “Some people have died. I cannot provide the exact figures as of now. A team of doctors has arrived. We will try to save as many people as possible. I have directed the police, administrative officials and medical team to ensure swift rescue operations and immediate assistance to the injured,” he said.
Tosham MLA and Congress leader Kiran Choudhry, and leader of opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda, along with other leaders, expressed grief over the incident and blamed the government led by Bharatiya Janata Party andJannayak Janata Party for the incident.
“I had flagged the issue of rampant illegal mining at Dadam many times in the state assembly but the government turned its ear deaf and eyes blind. The government should initiate a probe into the matter and compensate the families of those dead and injured in the mishap,” Choudhry said.
Alleging that mining activities were being carried illegally by flouting all rules, Hooda said even the Supreme Court has made a serious comment on the issue, but the government was not conducting a fair investigation.
“There should be a judicial inquiry into the flouting of norms,” the former chief minister added.
