Search for Arjun enters ninth day; directed not to move soil quickly, says Karnataka

BENGALURU: The search for Arjun, who went missing along with the lorry after a landslide at Shirur in Karnataka, has entered the ninth day. The search will focus on the signal of the metal object on the bottom of the Gangavali river. Removing the soil along the banks of the river has started. The search after descending the river will begin shortly.

The bottom of the river is searched using modern equipment that combines radio frequency and AI. The scuba divers of the army will arrive for this. The Center has given security clearance for this. Retd Major General M Indrabalan and his team will be part of the mission. Special equipment will be brought from Mangalore and Goa.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka government informed the high court that after receiving the missing complaint of Arjun, the search had started. The complaint was obtained on the night of July 19. The search began on 20th morning. The Geological Survey of India had strictly instructed not to move the soil quickly that day.

There was a warning that there would be massive landslides if big machines function. It was also directed that the soil excavation should be continued in a phased manner. The government informed the court that the direction was that the soil on the road side should be removed first, not the soil on the mountain side. There was also a notification to stop excavation immediately in case of landslides. The high court will consider today the plea to speed up the rescue operations.

Arjun went missing on July 16. The family said they had lodged a complaint on that night itself. The family said that the station informed them that a missing case was reported on the afternoon of July 16.

Meantime, Kerala NDA is gearing up for a strike against the Karnataka government on the Shirur mission. A dharna will be staged in Thiruvananthapuram today. It is alleged that there was a delay in finding Arjun.