Dejected tribal community asks govt to call off rescue operation in Irshalwadi landslide

Irshalwadi/Khalapur: As the rescue operation following the Irshalwadi landslide entered its fourth day, Ankush Wagh, the leader of the tribe, made a heartfelt plea to the government to call it off. Having already lost nine of his own family members to the catastrophe, Wagh believes that further efforts to retrieve bodies may be futile and even hazardous to those involved in the operation.

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The search has thus far resulted in the recovery of 26 bodies but there are still 65 more to be found, leaving families in a state of anguish and uncertainty. “With diminishing hopes of finding any survivors and the understanding that the deceased will eventually be cremated, we see little value in the process of digging out lifeless bodies,” said Wagh. “Instead, the tribe plans to hold rituals on the 13th day at the site to honour and remember the departed souls.”

Wagh, who also serves as the tehsil president of Zilla Thakur Sanghatana in Raigad district, was expressing not just his own but the community’s collective decision. “Our community gathered and unanimously decided to formally request the government to halt the rescue operation. We have sadly lost hope of finding our beloved relatives alive,” said a teary-eyed Wagh, seated at the temporary shelter set up by the government in conjunction with the Panchayatana temple, Nadhal village.

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Jagdish Pardhi, who lost 15 family members in the landslide, has only recovered five bodies so far. He echoed Wagh’s sentiments. “We yearn to bid our final goodbyes to our loved ones but not at the cost of mutilating their bodies,” he said. “It is better to bring the rescue operation to a close.”

In response to the villagers’ plea, Mahendra Kalyankar, the district collector of Raigad, acknowledged their request and assured them that the matter was being discussed with the National Disaster Rescue Force (NDRF). The authorities are thoughtfully considering the emotional and practical implications before taking a final decision regarding the rescue operation.

Ever since the landslide occurred, Namdev Tiwate has been reaching the base of Irshalgad from Karjat every morning to search for 25 people from his in-laws’ house with the NDRF team. “So far, we have received the bodies of only five of our relatives,” he said. “The youth of the village come here every morning with hope and leave with despair. It is right if our community decides to stop the rescue operation. But although I will accept whatever the village sarpanch decides, we will remain sad that we could not see our relatives for the last time.”

Supporting the decision of the community, Rajesh Thakur, who lost five members from his family, said, “Only one body was found. We are searching for the others every day. It is an irreparable loss, but I think it will be right if the community decides to stop the rescue operation.”