Probe ordered into Punjab youths drowning in Una lake

UNA, AUGUST 2

Una District Magistrate Raghav Sharma today ordered a magisterial inquiry into the tragic incident in which seven youths from Punjab had drowned in the Gobind Sagar lake in Una district on Monday.

Additional District Magistrate Dr Amit Kumar will conduct the inquiry and submit a report within a week, a press note issued here said. The orders further stated that the ADM would involve all concerned parties and also suggest remedies to avoid recurrence of such incidents.

Exercising powers under Sections 33 and 34 of the Disaster Management Act of 2005, the DM has issued orders to ban the movement of people near the banks of the lake till further orders because the reservoir swells during monsoons.

The DM has also directed the Superintendent of Police to deploy sufficient police force at the required spots to ensure the implementation of the orders and also directed the SDM, Bangana, to create public awareness among the residents living in the periphery of the lake regarding the issue and erect signboards to caution tourists.

However, a day after the incident, some tourists from Punjab were seen trying to enter the water at the same spot. They were dissuaded by the locals from going into the lake for a bath.

Meanwhile, the last selfie of the 11 youths from Banur in SAS Nagar district of Punjab surfaced in the social media.

The selfie was clicked on the Thanakalan-Bhakra road, some distance from the spot where they went to swim in the Gobind Sagar lake. Unfortunately, after an adventure that lasted just a few minutes, only four of them managed to return.