Jeypore: Even as police Friday arrested the manager of the consultancy firm in connection with the mishap at Bariput stone quarry near Telingiri project that killed two excavator operators, the district administration ordered an administrative probe.
Collector K Sundarshan Chakraborty Saturday asked the additional district magistrate, Sujata Mishra, to file a report on the negligence of the administrative officials leading to the mishap. On the order of the Collector, Jeypore sub-collector earlier filed a complaint with Ranigada police outpost.
ADM Mishra would investigate about the lease granted to the firm for stone extraction and its management flaws. The role of assistant tehsildar of Jeypore and the sub-collector would also be brought under the scanner. The ADM would look into how tehsildar Ranjita Mallik granted permission to DD Builder, the consultancy firm, to carry out detonation in the stone quarry despite the restrictions imposed by former sub-collectors Chakraborty Singh Rathore and Bikash Chandra Byne, it was learnt.
Based on this report, the Collector would initiate action against the persons involved in the gross negligence. Meanwhile, BJP’s state general secretary Bhrugu Baxipatra held Jeypore tehsildar and the firm responsible for the death of the operators and demanded their immediate arrest.
Rajendra Gouda, the secretary of Jeypore Jagaran Parishad, a local outfit, raised questions on the role of the police. Though the sub-collector lodged complaint in the incident, police didn’t arrest the accused. Moreover, the case was registered under milder sections of IPC, Gouda alleged.
Even as two people died in the quarry, police arrested an employee instead of the owner and released him on bail, he further said.
PNN
