Thiruvananthapuram/Ankola : Expressing grave concern over district administration’s decision to suspend search operations in Shirur, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday wrote to his Karnataka counterpart, urging for continuation of the operations until Kozhikode native Arjun who went missing following landslide was found.
The Karnataka government responded clarifying that the search operations are being set in motion again. On Saturday, the Uttara Kannada district administration stopped the search operations citing strong undercurrents that deterred divers from entering the waters and zero visibility around the spot where Arjun’s truck is currently lodged.
Minister for Public Works PA Mohamed Riyas who visited the disaster site too had conveyed disappointment to government representatives in Karnataka for suspending the search in arbitrary fashion without following through with decisions taken at the high-level joint meeting between the 2 states.
Excerpt From CM’s Letter
““We appreciate the efforts taken by the teams engaged in search and rescue operations to find Arjun (Kozhikode native), who went missing in Shirur. I write this letter as there are reports that the search operations have been stopped. I earnestly urge you to give directions to continue the rescue operations till they yield positive results. It is requested that the operations may be continued with augmented strength and using all needed equipment.”
Meanwhile, efforts are on to transport dredging machine from Thrissur to Shirur. The Agro Dredgecraft is owned by University of Agriculture could potentially remove mud and silt mounted on the truck that remains firmly lodged in the riverbed. Though planned to have it delivered in 24 hours, authorities in Karnataka are sceptical and asked to first ascertain it can function effectively in the current conditions.
Backdrop : A massive landslide struck in Karnataka’s Shirur on 16th July causing a hillock by the side of national highway to collapse and cave in. Kozhikode native Arjun whose truck was at the spot at the time was swept away along with his timber-laden vehicle.
A full-fledged search by multiple agencies using sophisticated technology located the truck as lying inside Gangavalli river heside the highway. However, the underwater currents of the river are thrice over the safety limit and is proving deterrent to search by deep divers from the Navy and a local expert and his diving team , who aim to reach the truck and haul it out after first checking for Arjun inside, though the Iboard drone indicated no presence of human in the truck’s vicinity.
