Post News Network
Cuttack, April 3: Concerned over frequent cases of drowning along the right embankment of Mahanadi river near here collector Nirmal Chandra Mishra Friday ordered an administrative inquiry into the drowning of four Ravenshaw University students near Jobra barrage on Mahanadi here Thursday.
A three-member committee comprising additional collector Bibhuti Bhushan Das, Mahanadi south division executive engineer Ashok Samal and Mahanadi barrage division executive engineer Bighnaraj Purohit has been directed to submit probe report within 15 days. Nearly 50 cases of drowning was reported during the last five years along the embankment from Chahata Ghat to Jobra Barrage.
Sources said the committee will look into the various aspects of the mishap. “The probe will focus on the causes and sequences of the drowning incident. It will also look into the depth of water at the drowning spot and its suitability for bathing,” Mishra said.
The committee has also been asked to find out as to how the riverside inhabitants would be affected if bathing is banned at the potentially dangerous locations like near barrages and spurs.
The district administration has decided to construct a wall on the bathing ghat near Jobra barrage to prevent similar mishaps. Besides, a warning board will be placed near the bathing ghat for creating awareness among people, Mishra added.