Probe report on Beas tragedy sent to Chief Secretary for action: CM Virbhadra Singh

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Saturday said the inquiry report submitted by the Mandi Divisional Commissioner on the Beas tragedy has been forwarded to the Chief Secretary for necessary follow-up action.

Necessary action would be taken on the report and rescue operations to recover the bodies of all the victims would continue, the Chief Minister said.

On the direction of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, Mandi Divisional Commissioner Onkar Sharma carried out an inquiry into the drowning of 24 engineering students from Hyderabad and a co-tour operator in the Beas river on June 8.

Asked about the abduction of Himachal Pradesh residents in Basra and Mosul townships of Iraq, the Chief Minister said the state government had asked the district administrations to ascertain the exact number of Himachalis who had been held as hostage.

He said the matter had been taken up with the central government, which is in touch with the Iraqi government and was exploring all avenues to get the hostages released.

The Chief Minister took a dig at the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre over the hike in railway fares and freight charges. He said BJP's promise of "good days are proving to be worse".

He added that hike in freight charges would have cascading effect on prices of essential commodities which would badly hit the common man.