Institute impartial enquiry in Malin landslide disaster: CITU

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) today asked the Maharashtra government to institute an "impartial" enquiry to ascertain the causes pin pointing "failures and complicity" which led to the Malin landslide disaster.
CITU has also demanded that compensation be paid to the families of the deceased and injured and proper rehabilitation of the surviving people be made without delay.
In a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, CITU general secretary Tapan Sen alleged that despite reports that the government had adequate warning months before when repeated smaller landslips had occurred, no preventive measures were taken.
"CITU urges you (Chavan) to institute an impartial enquiry to the causes leading to the disaster pin pointing failures and complicity.

"CITU also demands that compensation be paid to the families of the deceased and injured and proper rehabilitation of the surviving people be made without delay," Sen said in the letter.
He said that he was writing the letter with much "shock and anguish" on the national disaster.

Asserting that the flow of the backwaters of the nearby Dimbha dam "may be" one of the causes, he said that despite the fact, JCP heavy machines were being used on the hillside under MNREGA under Padkai scheme in gross violation of the Act.
"Despite strong opposition by the local Adivasis the government did not prohibit their use," he said.

"It is reported that your government had had adequate warning months before when repeated smaller landslips had occurred. Yet, no preventive measures were taken by the government," he added.
With hopes of finding more survivors fast receding, rescuers have dug out 27 more bodies since last night as the toll in the July 30 Malin landslide disaster in Ambegaon in Pune district has risen to 68.