Taking suo motu cognisance of Sunday’s Hirakud boat tragedy, the Odisha High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the State Government asking it to file detailed status reports within two weeks.
Expressing great concern over the incident in which 31 lives were lost, a Division Bench of Justices Indrajit Mohanti and Biswanath Mohapatra entertained the matter as public interest litigation (PIl). Sources said the High Court has asked the Secretaries of Revenue, Home and Water Resources Departments to file reports detailing as to how the tragedy occurred and who are responsible for it.
The Government has also been asked to furnish details of the safety measures taken for those who are ferried by boats. The High Court fixed February 24 to hear the matter in details again.