2 arrested for mishap at irrigation project site in Odisha’s Kalahandi

Bhawanipatna (Odisha), September 15

Two people, including an engineer, were arrested in connection with a mishap at an irrigation project site near Kutingpadar in Odisha’s Kalahandi district, which left a worker dead and another injured, police said on Friday.

Site manager Dusasan Naik and site engineer Upendra Mohanand were arrested on Thursday in connection with the incident that took place in the spillway work site of Ret medium irrigation project, they said.

The mishap took place on Wednesday when a concrete structure fell from a height during construction work undertaken by a private company, officials said.

Kalahandi district Collector Anjan Kumar Manik said an inquiry into the incident is in progress and a team led by the Project Director, District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), visited the site on Thursday.

A company official said compensation would be paid to the family of the deceased and the injured as per law. The company is bearing all cost of medical expenses for the injured, who has been shifted to a hospital in Vishakapatnam for better treatment.

Work for Ret Medium irrigation project, which started in 2006 with an estimated cost of Rs 433 crore, was slated to be completed by 2016. Now, with the escalated cost of Rs 768 crore, the project and canal work were still incomplete, sources said. PTI