Water level of Beas river to be reduced for better search of missing engineering students: Anil Sharma, Rural Development Minister

MANDI(HP): With no progress in the search for 17 missing engineering students from Hyderabad despite use of unmanned aerial vehicle, rescue agencies have decided to conduct intensive search in a 3-km stretch in the Beas river by reducing water level to the minimum.

“A special search operation will be launched tomorrow for tracing the missing students by lowering the water level to the minimum. 450 out of 600 jawans engaged in rescue operations will conduct special search operations in a 3-km stretch towards Pandoh Dam,” Rural Development Minister Anil Sharma said.

After reviewing the search operation, which resumed on its fifth day today, he said divers and contingents from Army, state police, Navy, National Disaster Response Force and SSB would participate in the hi-tech operation in which “echo- sounder” for over-water and under-water search would be used for the first time.

He said Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has directed the district administration to provide all possible help to the agencies.