The Punjab Government is closely monitoring the rescue operation at Kullu’s Bhunter area, where a bus carrying around 60 passengers, fell off in Parbati river on Thursday. Most of the passengers hailed from Punjab’s Bathinda, Mansa and Barnala districts.
Besides, the State Government is also investigating into the permit of the “overloaded” PRTC bus.
The statement was given by Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal on Sunday, who along with his wife and Union Minister for Food Processing Industry Harsimrat Kaur Badal, visited the villages of lelewala, Jaga Ram Tirath and Mehraj to share the grief of bereaved families who lost their loved ones in Kullu bus tragedy.
They condoled the irreparable losses and asserted that the Punjab Government stood by them in their moment of grief. Sukhbir, talking to the media persons, termed the incidence very unfortunate and added that the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has declared `1 lakh compensation for the next of kin of deceased.
He added that the Government was treating injured free of cost. Praying to the Almighty for early revival of those missing, Sukhbir said that the Punjab Government, in collaboration with the Himachal Pradesh Government, was monitoring the rescue operation.
He said that as per the reports received from high-level State officer, deputed to coordinate in the rescue work, 21 people have been relieved after being treated at Kullu hospital and four injured are admitted at PGI Chandigarh.
He added that of the 37 missing people, bodies of nine have been recovered which includes two people each of village lelewala and Mehraj, three from Jaga Ram Titrath and from different villages of Barnala and Mansa district.
He added that inspection posts and control rooms have been set up at larji Dam and Pandoh Dam to locate the bodies of missing people. He added that anyone can contact the respective control rooms to find information of one's missing relative.