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Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 26 (IANS) The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has expressed deep grief over the tragic death of a man named Biju in a landslide near Adimali on the NH-85 corridor late Saturday night.
His wife Sandhya was also injured in the incident, which took place around 10.45 pm on October 25, and was rescued by local authorities after a seven-hour operation.
In a statement on Sunday, NHAI said it had taken immediate action upon receiving communication from the Idukki District Disaster Management Unit (DDMU) warning of a possible landslide on October 22.
After inspection, NHAI engineers confirmed the possibility of slides and immediately recommended evacuation of all families living near the sensitive slope.
Acting on this recommendation, the district administration issued a formal evacuation notice and shifted the residents to a temporary relief camp set up at Adimali Government School.
As a precautionary measure, traffic movement on the affected stretch of NH-85 was also suspended from 10 am on Saturday.
“Unfortunately, this tragedy occurred when Mr. Biju and his wife returned home briefly from the relief camp for a personal need,” the NHAI statement said.
“At the time of the incident, no highway widening or construction activity was taking place at the site.”
The authority further emphasized that, in coordination with the DDMU, it had implemented a series of preventive measures to mitigate the impact of any possible landslides.
“These proactive measures significantly reduced the extent of the damage,” it said.
NHAI also appealed to the public to strictly follow the disaster management and safety advisories issued by the highway authorities.
The site is now under continuous 24-hour monitoring, with NHAI officials working in close coordination with the district administration, local representatives and residents.
The statement concluded, “We are fully committed to ensuring the safety of human life and property and will continue our efforts until the situation becomes completely normal.”
–IANS
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