Kozhikode/Shirur: Despite removing 98 per cent of the landslide debris, under which Kozhikode native Arjun is believed to be trapped, from the road in Shirur, near Ankola in Karnataka, there was no sign of the truck. However, the army personnel deployed for the rescue operation have moved their search to the nearby Gangavali River.
According to the Karnataka government, experts confirmed no trace of the truck from where they received a GPS signal. Therefore, it has been concluded that there is little to no possibility of finding Arjun and the truck on the shore. Officials said they will seek the help of experts to conduct the search operation in the river as it is extremely complicated. Earlier, a Navy team had scouted the river, but in vain.
More sophisticated tech will be brought in for the rescue operation, which will continue tomorrow. Radars will be brought in from Pune and Chennai. Machines capable of scouting both land and water will be deployed at Shirur on Monday. A deep-search metal detector that can even find landmines will be used. According to the army, the truck may be trapped under a dune that formed in the river following the massive landslide.
The central government deployed army personnel for the search of Kozhikode man Arjun and two others who went missing in a massive landslide at Shirur in Karnataka's Ankola. A team of 40 soldiers from Belagavi reached Shirur around 2 pm to join the search. Though the army was expected to launch the search in the morning, the delay in their arrival raised eyebrows. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also reached the spot to review the rescue operation. He instructed officials and the rescue teams to hasten the work, as heavy rains pounded the region. Asserting that there has been no negligence or delay by his government in conducting the rescue, he said he also ordered that the families of those who died in the landslide be given Rs 5 lakh compensation.
More earthmovers and workers were taken for the rescue operations after Arjun's family alleged delay in the mission and requested the government to deploy the army. Frequent rain in the area has been disrupting the rescue work.
As per reports, the army will take over the search once they join the mission. National Disaster Response Force and Navy personnel have been searching for the missing people since Friday.
Manorama News reported that the Karnataka government has sought the help of ISRO to obtain satellite images of the area during the landslide. ISRO chairman Dr S Somanath told MP K C Venugopal that the satellite images would be provided.
NDRF and SDRF personnel resumed the search for the missing persons on Sunday around 7.30 am. Karwar MLA said that the officials in charge of the rescue operation are worried about the mudslide in the area.
Amid this, the absence of senior officials at the spot on Sunday morning triggered criticism against the Karnataka government. Arjun's brother Abhijith told Manorama News that no senior official reached the spot even after 7 am. He added that the rescue team was waiting for the order from the district collector to resume the search.
Six-day-long search for Arjun
Arjun, a lorry driver went missing in Shirur on Tuesday. Amid the searches under NDRF and Navy, his family on Saturday said they have lost faith in the ongoing rescue work and sought deployment of the Army to find him. The family, talking to reporters outside their home in Kozhikode, said they have sent emails to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister of State for Tourism, Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seeking deployment of the Army to carry out the rescue work. Another alternative proposed by the family is that the Karnataka government permit volunteer rescue workers from Kerala to go there and assist in the operations to find Arjun.
"If they (Karnataka) cannot carry out the rescue work properly, let the Army do it or let people from Kerala go there and do it. There are people from Kerala who have the equipment and are willing to go there and carry out the rescue work," the family said as the fifth day after Arjun's disappearance draws to a close.
His sister and mother said that they initially had faith in the authorities there and therefore, they kept quiet and waited.
"But they have delayed the rescue work. They have not shown the urgency required. We have lost faith in them. Therefore, we have emailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, Suresh Gopi sir and the Kerala Chief Minister," they said.
Earlier in the day, Arjun's sister had said that the Karnataka police were informed on July 16 itself that he was missing and later further details, including his truck's GPS location, were communicated to them, but to date, there is no information available about his whereabouts.
"If there is so much delay, what hope should we hold on to? If they did not have the requisite facilities there, they should have brought it from where the same is available," she said.
Kerala Forest Minister A K Saseendran, who visited the family in the morning, told reporters that the rescue operations were expedited following effective intervention from the Kerala government and prominent political parties in the state.
"Hope it will be fruitful," he said.
He further said that besides a team of Motor Vehicle Department officials from Kerala, a police team from the state was also present at the site where the landslide occurred and they were providing regular reports about the status of the rescue efforts. The minister also said that equipment like ground penetrating radar and metal detectors have reached the site to help with the rescue efforts.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan said rescue efforts were being overseen by Karnataka Deputy CM D K Shivakumar. He said that the adverse weather conditions were hindering the rescue efforts as there was a risk of further landslides due to the rains.
"There is no lack of effort from the Karnataka government's side," he said.
He further said that the family would be anxious and distressed as they have been waiting for several days for information about Arjun.
Arjun's family had on Friday said that his phone was ringing that morning and the GPS tracker on his truck was emitting a signal, placing the vehicle somewhere underneath the massive mound of mud and rock debris. On Friday, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan got in touch with Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah over the issue.
According to the family, they last spoke to Arjun on Monday after which there has been no contact from him. Six bodies have been recovered after the landslide incident on July 16. Vehicular traffic has been temporarily suspended on National Highway 66 following the landslide.
(With PTI inputs)
