Industry Minister Mukesh Agnihotri today visited the dam site near Thalot in Mandi district to take stock of the ongoing search and rescue operations. He also met N. Narsimha Reddy, the Home Minister of Telangana and parents of the Engineering students at Pandoh dam site and expressed his deep sympathies over the tragedy.
Agnihotri said that the State Government was making every possible effort to trace bodies of missing students. He directed Public Works and Forest Departments and Larji Project management to close all the link roads constructed to carrying out illegal mining activities in the Beas River within seven days. He also gave directions to the Larji Project management to ban dumping with in the limits of project areas.
The Industry Minister asked the Mining department to take effective steps for banning illegal mining and also put up boards in this regard at various sites. He directed the department to impose a fine of upto Rs. 25,000 along-with taking action as per the rules against the people found responsible for illegal mining activities. He said that it should be ensured that the daily wagers were getting minimum daily wages of Rs. 170 which had been implemented from 1st April, 2014.
