Lucknow: More than 70 labourers from six districts of Uttar Pradesh, working at the Tapovan Vishnugad Hydropower Project, are reported missing after the Chamoli glacier burst hit their project site.
Family members of these missing persons are worried and have approached the district and state administration to help them know their whereabouts whether or not they are dead or alive.
Maximum number of people reported missing are from Lakhimpur Kheri. The District Magistrate Shailendra Kumar said that over 65 people from different villages had gone to Tapovan to work in the power project as labourers. While about 15 have so far contacted their families, there is no news about the rest of them, he added.
The DM along with SP Amit Dhull visited four villages Majra Babupurwa, Kadia, Icchanagar and Bhairampur under Nighasan tehsil to prepare a list of missing people. “We are preparing a list of missing persons to submit it to the state government for taking up the issue with the Uttarakhand government,” said the DM.
Vimal of Majra Babupurwa, who survived the tragedy and called his family on Sunday, told that many of his friends from the district who were working in the tunnel are trapped inside. He said that rescue operation was on but there was no news about his missing friends.
Five each reported missing from Meerut, Amroha, Gorakhpur, Shravasti and three from Saharanpur. “We have assured family members that the state government is taking up the issue with the Uttarakhand government to locate missing labourers from Uttar Pradesh,” said a senior officer.
The state government has also asked the NTPC officials to trace the missing persons from UP. “We have asked the NTPC officials to provide a list of persons who died, survived and are still missing after the tragedy,” claimed the officer.
