Kullu: Nearly 10 months after eight workers were washed away in a flash flood in the Manuni rivulet near Dharamshala in Kangra district, a hydroelectric power company has finally deposited a compensation of Rs 1.22 crore for the lost lives.India Priyadarshini Hydro Power Private Limited has transferred the money to the office of the Employees’ Compensation Commissioner, following orders issued by the court of Senior Civil Judge Hakikat Dhanda.The court directions came after the hydropower company failed to deposit the compensation amount as required under Section 8(1) of the Workmen’s Compensation Rules, 1923.The total amount of Rs 1,22,41,950 deposited with the Employees’ Compensation Commissioner, Dharamshala, would now be disbursed among the families of the deceased workers.The court has also directed that copies of the order be sent to the District Legal Services Authorities (DLSA) in Kangra, Chamba, Doda (Jammu and Kashmir), and Deoria (Uttar Pradesh) so that they could assist affected families in receiving the compensation.On June 25, 2025, a flash flood triggered by a cloudburst in the Manuni rivulet near Khaliara in Dharamshala washed away eight workers who were present at the project site.While seven bodies were recovered during a search operation, which was conducted by teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), one labourer was never found and is presumed dead.The deceased included Aditya Thakur from Chamba; Paramjeet Singh from Fatehpur in Kangra district; Sanjeev Kumar and his son Nitin Kumar from Fatehpur (Kangra); Chain Singh from Doda in Jammu and Kashmir; and Pradeep Verma and his son Chandan from Deoria in Uttar Pradesh. Vipin from Chamba remains untraced.Ravinder Ravi, the state general secretary of the Trade Union Coordination Centre (TUCC), who raised the demand for compensation immediately after the tragedy, told TOI that the company should have compensated the kin of the deceased immediately.“The workers were at the project site of the company when the flash flood struck. The company should have released compensation on its own without causing any delay,” said Ravi, who also approached the Himachal Pradesh high court and the state Human Rights Commission over the delay in releasing compensation.“Most companies in the hydropower sector do not comply with labour laws and operate without providing adequate safety measures for their workforce,” Ravi added.India Priyadarshini Hydro Power Private Limited is developing a 4.8 MW small hydro project in two phases on the Manuni rivulet near Khaniara, Dharamshala. The work on the project started in 2019.MSID:: 130494820 413 |
