Madhya Pradesh CM Visits Families Affected by Cruise Tragedy in Jabalpur

Chief Minister's Visit to Jabalpur

On May 1, Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav of Madhya Pradesh visited Jabalpur to meet with families impacted by the recent cruise accident at the Bargi Dam, which resulted in the loss of nine lives. During his visit, the Chief Minister expressed the state government's solidarity with the affected families and assured that action would be taken against those responsible following an investigation.

Dr. Yadav personally visited the homes of the deceased and survivors to offer condolences and assess the situation on the ground. Accompanying him were Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda and Public Works Minister Rakesh Singh. Speaking to the media, the Chief Minister confirmed that nine bodies had been recovered and 28 individuals rescued.

He further detailed that the rescue operations involved the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), local administration, and other agencies. Divers from the army also contributed to the search and rescue efforts.

Government Support and Future Measures

According to officials, workers from the nearby Jal Jeevan Mission project were among the first to arrive at the scene to assist emergency teams before they could reach. Local elected representatives were also present at the site shortly after the incident.

The Chief Minister announced a financial aid of ₹4 lakh for the families of the deceased from the state government. Additionally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared an extra ₹2 lakh as ex-gratia payment. He also announced a reward of ₹51,000 for each individual who helped in rescuing people during the accident.

Dr. Yadav stated that the state government would formulate a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for adventure tourism activities, including boating and cruise services, to prevent such incidents in the future. He emphasized the need for operators and officials to strictly adhere to weather warnings.