Four Hydel Power Project workers splashed away

Gangtok , Sikkim : Four surveyors engaged at the site of the Panan mega-hydel power project in Dzongu, North Sikkim, were washed away by a flash flood of the Tholung Chu river last night.

The victims have been identified as Surendra Kumar (Tamil Nadu), N. Bisht (Uttarakhand), O.P. Mattoo (Bihar) and Arjun Majhi (Siliguri). All of them were employees of Shivalik Geological Survey, a Hyderabad-based agency, engaged by Himagiri Pvt. Ltd. The 280MW power project is being built by Himagiri.

The quartet were reportedly engaged in drilling the river bank at Lingzya in Upper Dzongu when the accident occurred. Their equipment was also washed away.

The news reached the district headquarters in Mangan this morning and a police team was sent to look for the bodies. “The search party was at it till late in the evening, but the bodies have not been traced,” senior superintendent of police (North) S.T. Bhutia told The Telegraph.

Affected Citizens of Teesta, an apolitical body, is protesting against the Panan project on religious and environmental grounds.

Source: The Telegraph