Naval Air Station engaged in Jharkhand girl rescue operation

Efforts of sanitary workers, fire and rescue services personnel and police on third day fail

A rescue team from INS Rajali, the Naval Air Station in Arakkonam, along with sanitary workers of the Vellore Corporation and personnel of the fire and rescue services (FRS) and police on Wednesday carried out an intensive search for 12-year-old Priyanka from Jharkhand who fell into a drainage canal on Beri Subramaniaswamy Koil Street here on Monday evening, but their efforts did not succeed.

The inability to trace the girl even 12 hours after she fell into the canal caused concern among her parents and personnel of the various agencies involved in the search operation.

Help request

The Vellore District Collector was thus forced to request help from the INS Rajali which has well-trained searchers for the mission. The naval team came here on Tuesday night but owing to darkness, it commenced its search operation on Wednesday morning, dividing itself into three groups.

In groups

One group carried out the search operation from B.S.S. Koil Street to Palace Café junction, another one from Palace Café junction to National Theatre junction, and the third one from National Theatre junction up to the area behind the Collectorate.

Sanitary workers of the Vellore Corporation and FRS personnel carried out an intensive search in the deep slush behind Hotel River View where it was believed the body could have been caught, but to no avail.

Vellore Corporation workers and the FRS personnel conducted the search in the canal in Thenral Nagar near the Collectorate. The drainage from B.S.S. Koil Street passes through the underground canal in Arcot Road at the Palace Café junction, joins the open channel at the National Theatre junction via the channel beneath the car park on the western side of the CMC Hospital, the channel in Thottapalayam and passes through behind Hotel River View, crosses beneath the New Bypass Road and joins the Palar River.

Minister inspects

K.C. Veeramani, Minister for School Education inspected the search operation and had discussions with Vellore Collector R. Nanthagopal, Corporation and FRS officials on the rescue operation.

He told newspersons that on the instructions of the Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, he visited the spot where the accident occurred and consoled the family members of the girl who fell into the canal. He said that 500 sanitary workers of the Vellore Corporation, 300 FRS and police personnel and a rescue team from INS Rajali were jointly and separately engaged in the search operation.

While two earth movers were already being engaged in the operation, four more earth movers would be pressed into service.

“Steps are being taken to speed up the search operation which will be carried out on a war footing”, he said, adding that he had instructed the personnel to use focus lights powered by generators and continue the operation in the night.

Besides the Collector, P. Vijayakumar, Superintendent of Police, Vellore, P. Karthiyayini, Mayor of Vellore, K. Balaraman, District Revenue Officer, Pattabhiraman, Revenue Divisional Officer, Vellore, Janaki, Commissioner of Vellore Corporation and Balasubramanian, City Engineer of the Corporation accompanied the Minister.