Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Secretary Anu Garg on Saturday spoke to her Madhya Pradesh counterpart and directed officials to coordinate with the neighbouring state and local administration for the prompt completion of rescue and other formalities following the drowning deaths of seven Odia tourists in Agar-Malwa district.
Garg also spoke to the Secretary of the Odisha Language, Literature and Culture Department and instructed officials to maintain close coordination with Madhya Pradesh authorities. Expressing grief over the deaths, she conveyed condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the departed souls. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has also directed officials to make urgent arrangements in connection with the incident.
According to the Agar-Malwa district administration, the seven victims from Bhubaneswar drowned in a stream near the Maa Banglamukhi Temple in Nalkheda tehsil. The deceased have been identified as Shiva Prasad Behera (43), Sai Swarnaprabha Behera (6), Krishna Rajbeer (13), Gyanendra Kumar Behera (40), Ritarani Behera (36), Sai Swastik Behera (10) and Radharani Behera (34).
Following the Chief Secretary’s direction, Pritish Panda, Special Duty Officer of the Odisha Parivar Directorate, met the victims’ relatives at Atmaram Basti in Jayadev Vihar, Bhubaneswar, and collected details of the deceased.
The Madhya Pradesh administration has arranged for the bodies to be transported to Odisha by ambulance/hearse. Rahul Jain, Revenue Inspector, Circle Tanodia, Tehsil Agar, has been designated as the nodal officer for the transportation, with ‘Patwari’ Anup Rajput assisting him.
Jain, accompanied by a police personnel, will coordinate with the local administration and facilitate the transportation of the bodies to Odisha while remaining in contact with Odisha’s Special Duty Officer Pritish Panda and keeping the Collector of Agar-Malwa informed.
