CHHER RIVER DIVERSION ACCIDENT REFLECTS ADMINISTRARTIVE INSENSITIVITY: RAHLU TIWARI

CHHER RIVER DIVERSION ACCIDENT REFLECTS ADMINISTRARTIVE INSENSITIVITY: RAHLU TIWARI

3-SEP-ENG 10

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA-----------------------------Rahul Tiwari (alias Mantu Tiwari), former MLA of the Shahpur Assembly constituency in Bhojpur district, has termed the accident at the Cher River diversion site an instance of administrative insensitivity. He stated that the two young men who drowned in the incident belonged to extremely poor and helpless families, and one of them was the only son of his family. He visited the families of both deceased individuals at Shobhi Tola (Ward No. 1, Shahpur Nagar Panchayat) to offer his condolences and assure them of all possible assistance. Former MLA Rahul Tiwari (alias Mantu Tiwari) stated that the administration failed to provide even a vehicle to transport the bodies for post-mortem examinations; the families were compelled to arrange for transport at their own expense. Furthermore, the SDRF boat deployed to search for the second youth's body lacked even the necessary fuel. Ultimately, the families and local residents conducted the search themselves and recovered the body. Rahul Tiwari alleged that despite such a major tragedy, no responsible official visited the bereaved families or offered assistance. In protest against this situation, he staged a sit-in on the road and demanded an explanation from the administration. Subsequently, Jagdishpur SDO Omprakash Lal and SDPO Rahul Kumar arrived at the scene, met the affected families, and assured them that compensation would be provided. Rahul Tiwari asserted that such insensitivity towards poor and helpless families could not be tolerated or accepted under any circumstances.