U'khand electrocution incident: PM Modi sanctions Rs 2 lakh ex gratia for kin of deceased from PM relief fund
Jul 19, 2023
New Delhi [India], July 19 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday sanctioned Rs 2 lakh for the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for those seriously injured from Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) after 16 people died due to electrocution and several others were left injured when a transformer exploded on the banks of the Alaknanda River, an official statement said.
In this regard, District Magistrate Chamoli Himanshu Khurana said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sanctioned an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakhs for the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the seriously injured in the Chamoli incident from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund."
Earlier today Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced Rs 5 lakh to the dependents of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh to the people injured in the incident.
"Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has given instructions to provide Rs 5 lakh to the dependents of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh to the injured without any delay," an official statement said.
Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand State emergency operation centre said that the cause of the incident is yet to be ascertained.
On the orders of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Chamoli district administration on Wednesday ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident.
"According to the information received today July 19, Some people lost their lives due to electrocution at approximately 11:30 am at Namami Gange project in Chamoli. A magisterial inquiry is absolutely necessary to get it done. Therefore, I Himanshu Khurana, District Magistrate Chamoli nominate Dr Abhishek Tripathi, Additional District Magistrate, Chamoli for magisterial investigation," an official statement issued by the DM office said.
In the aftermath of the incident, Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat said that A detailed probe into the incident should be done by the state government in the incident.
"This is a very sad incident that has happened. Our sympathy is with the family of the deceased. Proper help should be provided to the family of deceased people and injured. A detailed probe into the incident should be done by the state govt," Harish Rawat told ANI.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke with Uttarakhand Chief Minister and enquired about over a dozen deaths due to electrocution in the state's Chamoli district.
Shah took to Twitter to share his feeling about the incident, terming the incident "very sad".
In a telephonic conversation with the Uttarakhand Chief Minister, the Home Minister took detailed input about the incident.
