Woman drowns in Saryu; villagers allege dam gates opened ‘without warning’

Bageshwar: A 35-year-old woman died on Thursday after drowning in the Saryu river in Kapkot. The river's water level rose rapidly after employees of Uttar Bharat Hydro Power Pvt Ltd allegedly opened a dam without prior notice.The woman, Vimla Martoliya, was collecting water from the river when she got caught in the river's flow following the dam's opening. Reacting to the incident, Kamlesh Joshi, general manager of Uttar Bharat Hydro Power Pvt Ltd, said maintenance work had been ongoing for the past two days, and that the district's sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) had been informed of the situation. He added that employees had sounded an alarm minutes before releasing the water to warn residents to stay away from the river.Meanwhile, villagers, along with fire brigade and police personnel, launched a search operation and found Martoliya's body about 1km downstream near Chirabgad. She was taken to the community health centre in Kapkot, where doctors confirmed her death. Police took custody of her body and sent it to the district hospital for an autopsy.Upon learning of Martoliya's death, villagers gathered at the health centre, demanding that a murder case be filed against the hydro project company. Harish Aithani, a district council member, criticised the company's decision to open the dam "without warning," calling it "a blatant disregard for public safety." He urged local authorities to pursue a murder case against the company and provide compensation to Martoliya's family.The protesting villagers warned that after the autopsy, they would place Martoliya's body at the company's office and refuse to move it until legal action is taken. Kapkot station officer Kailash Bisht said no formal complaint has been filed, but police are investigating the matter and conducting the autopsy.Bageshwar: A 35-year-old woman died on Thursday after drowning in the Saryu river in Kapkot. The river's water level rose rapidly after employees of Uttar Bharat Hydro Power Pvt Ltd allegedly opened a dam without prior notice.The woman, Vimla Martoliya, was collecting water from the river when she got caught in the river's flow following the dam's opening. Reacting to the incident, Kamlesh Joshi, general manager of Uttar Bharat Hydro Power Pvt Ltd, said maintenance work had been ongoing for the past two days, and that the district's sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) had been informed of the situation. He added that employees had sounded an alarm minutes before releasing the water to warn residents to stay away from the river.Meanwhile, villagers, along with fire brigade and police personnel, launched a search operation and found Martoliya's body about 1km downstream near Chirabgad. She was taken to the community health centre in Kapkot, where doctors confirmed her death. Police took custody of her body and sent it to the district hospital for an autopsy.Upon learning of Martoliya's death, villagers gathered at the health centre, demanding that a murder case be filed against the hydro project company. Harish Aithani, a district council member, criticised the company's decision to open the dam "without warning," calling it "a blatant disregard for public safety." He urged local authorities to pursue a murder case against the company and provide compensation to Martoliya's family.The protesting villagers warned that after the autopsy, they would place Martoliya's body at the company's office and refuse to move it until legal action is taken. Kapkot station officer Kailash Bisht said no formal complaint has been filed, but police are investigating the matter and conducting the autopsy.
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