Odisha Minister of State (Home), Tusharkanti Behera on Monday said that as many as 970 persons in have drowned to death is several rivers in the last three years in the State.
Behera said this while answering to a question posed by MLA Souvik Biswal in the Odisha Assembly.
As per Behera, a total of 1615 people met with the drowning mishap in the State during the period. While 613 of them were successfully rescued, 970 persons met their watery grave.
Describing the precautions taken by the Odisha government, Behera said, “The state government usually deploys fire fighting personnel and relevant equipment near particularly dangerous river banks during festivals.”
It is pertinent to mention here that at least seven persons, including a minor girl and a youth who was about to get married in a few hours, met their watery graves across Odisha while bathing in rivers and ponds after playing Holi on March 8.
(Reported By Harihar Chand, OTV)