Poclain operator wins praise for help in search operations

Dipender Manta Mandi

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Tribune News Service

Mandi, August 9

Ashwani Kumar, a Poclain operator, has played a crucial role in the search and rescue operation at flood-affected Rajban village in Mandi district.

On the midnight of July 31, a devastating cloudburst struck Rajban village in the Padhar subdivision, resulting in a massive flood that swept away 10 persons from six families and damaged homes of four other families.

The Mandi district administration swung into action immediately to find the missing persons. However, large boulders obstructed the search area, making it challenging for the rescue teams, including the NDRF, SDRF, police and home guards, to look for the missing individuals. Under dire circumstances, Poclain operator Ashwani Kumar emerged as a beacon of hope. The 6-km road from Thaltu Khod to Rajban village was completely destroyed by the flood. Undeterred, Ashwani managed to bring the Poclain machine to the site, where it was nearly impossible to reach by foot. For the past five days, he has been operating the machine for over 12 hours daily, assisting the rescue teams by removing large boulders to recover the trapped bodies. His efforts have been widely praised, with many acknowledging that without his help it would have been nearly impossible to retrieve the bodies. Ashwani, a resident of Rajol Kotla village in Kangra, said his primary goal was to locate the missing individuals. Currently, the search is focused on finding one missing person, Hardev.

Mandi ADM Madan Kumar commended Ashwani Kumar’s exceptional work, noting that he has managed to move boulders that seemed impossible to shift with a single machine. The ADM expressed hope that even if Hardev’s body is trapped in a deep, inaccessible location, it will be recovered by the relentless efforts of Ashwani Kumar.