AIZAWL: In a tragic incident, three labourers from West Bengal’s Malda district were killed when a huge mound of soil caved in on them at a road construction site in eastern Mizoram’s Khawzawl district on Thursday, a senior official said.
The incident occurred at around 7:30 pm when the labourers were working at Harmon area on the National Highway – 6, Khawzawl deputy commissioner and district disaster and management chairman said.
The victims were identified as Prem Kumar Mandal (33), Ratan Mandal (20) and Ujjal Mandal (28), all from Malda district in West Bengal.
On being informed about the incident, the DC, other officials and police team from Khawzawl rushed to the site. The bodies of the three victims were recovered from debris after 2 hours long search operation, the DC said.
The labourers were working under Shri Balaji Construction Company, which executes widening of package 3 of NH-6 under National National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).
The incident occured two months after the collapse of a stone quarry in south Mizoram’s Hnahthial district that killed 12 people working under a construction firm, which executes widening of national highways in Mizoram.
The stone quarry was operated by ABCI Infrastructures allegedly without forest clearance.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has recently directed the ABCI Infrastructures to pay Rs. 70 crore to be utilized for the restoration of the environment in relation to stone quarry collapse.
The Tribunal bench headed by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel viewed that the mining operations by the project proponent (PP) have been carried out in violation of environmental laws.
The money be deposited with Chief Secretary of Mizoram within one month, the bench said in its order passed on January 23.
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