Law Kumar Mishra
Patna, March 25
A Cargo vessel with 18 trucks and crew capsized in the Ganga between Sahebganj in Jharkhand and Manihari in Katihar district of Bihar late last night.
While 10 trucks are reported to be untraceable, over a dozen people are feared drowned. The vessel normally does not ferry passengers but the persons onboard are the crew of the Barge and the trucks.
Deputy commissioner of Sahebganj Ram Niwas Yadav, who visited the Mukteshwar Ganga ghat—the nearest point of the disaster– said four trucks plunged into the river as the steamer developed trouble midstream the Ganga. He said NDRF has been summoned in rescue operations.
DC said the steamer was being ferried from Sahebganj in Jharkhand to Manihari in Bihar during night hours against the prescribed rule of sunrise to sunset movement in the river.
Amar Chaudhury, captain of the ship said tyres of one of trucks busted on the steamer and it first tilted and finally drowned in to the river. As steamer got disbalanced, more trucks fell into the river.
He said 10 were missing. Pramod Paswan, an employee of the steamer company admitted in the hospital said there were 18 trucks on board the steamer and only six could be saved.
Survivors said the steamer was loaded with trucks carrying stone chips from Sahebganj. It was carrying trucks much more against its capacity.
The incident rocked the proceedings in the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly as opposition party BJP raised the issue and created pandemonium. Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi demanded action against Sahebganj DC and Superintendent of Police for failing to curb the illegal ferrying of stone clips. He said the illegal trade was causing huge revenue loss to the state.
