Chamoli district administration on Wednesday ordered for magisterial inquiries into the August 13 tunnel accident at a THDC under-construction project in the Hat area near Pipalkoti and an incident involving a flash flood in Tamak Nala near Tapovan.
The inquiry will examine the sequence of events, the causes of the incident, the circumstances in which the vehicles were affected and the details concerning the missing person reported in connection with the incident. The inquiries have been ordered to ascertain the circumstances leading to the two incidents, examine possible lapses and recommend measures to prevent similar accidents in the future. The district magistrate also ordered a magisterial inquiry into an incident at Tamak Nala near Tapovan in the Jyotirmath tehsil area, where heavy rainfall triggered a sudden surge of water and debris, affecting traffic.
The investigating officers have been directed to submit their reports within 15 days. The incident occurred on August 13 around 7pm at the under-construction THDC tunnel at Mayapur (Pipalkoti), where workers were trapped when water and debris entered the tunnel after a suspected aquifer burst. As many as 22 workers were inside the tunnel at that time.
The district magistrate appointed the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) of Chamoli as the investigating officer. The officer has been directed to conduct a detailed investigation into the causes of the accident, the circumstances that led to it and any possible negligence or lapses. The district magistrate has appointed the sub-divisional magistrate of Jyotirmath as the investigating officer for the second inquiry.
The officer has been instructed to conduct a fair and detailed investigation and submit the report within 15 days.
In the first case, district magistrate Gaurav Kumar ordered a magisterial inquiry into the accident that occurred on August 13 at an under-construction THDC tunnel in the Hat area of Pipalkoti.
