After model’s death, Human Rights Commission seeks report on safety measures at abandoned quarries

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Human Rights Commission has directed the Director of Mining and Geology to submit, within a month, a detailed report on measures proposed to prevent accidents at abandoned quarries that have turned into water bodies across the state.

The directive came in connection with a suo motu case registered by the Commission based on media reports about the death of a young model who drowned in an abandoned quarry pond at Pettamala in Mudakuzha, Ernakulam district.

Commission Chairperson Justice Alexander Thomas issued the directive while considering the safety risks posed by such inactive quarries. The Commission asked the Director to examine the possibility of amending the Kerala Minor Mineral Concession Rules to make it mandatory for quarry owners or operators to install barricades and warning boards around abandoned quarries that have become water-filled pits, thereby reducing the risk of accidents.

Justice Alexander Thomas also ordered a district-level inquiry into the incident. The District Collector has been directed to entrust the investigation to the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO), who should conduct the probe with the assistance of the Fire and Rescue Services and the local Station House Officer (SHO).

The District Collector has been asked to submit a detailed report, along with the findings of the inquiry, to the Commission within one month. The Secretary of the Mudakuzha grama panchayat has also been directed to submit a separate report.

In addition, the Principal Secretary and the Director of the Industries Department have been asked to file separate reports before the Commission.

The Commission further directed the Deputy Director of the Mining and Geology Department and the Under Secretary of the Industries Department to appear as government representatives at a sitting to be held on July 14 at the Rest House in Pathadipalam, Ernakulam.

A Delhi-based model, Divyanshu Jyoshi (26), who had arrived in Kochi for the shoot of an advertisement film, drowned after entering the waters of a quarry at Pettamala near Kuruppampady in Perumbavoor last week. The incident occurred when Divyanshu and a friend visited the site as part of a location hunt for an advertisement shoot for a clothing store. According to the Kodanadu police, he had just entered the water when he slipped and lost his balance.

Police said the Chalakudy-based ad film unit had planned to visit the site only the following day to seek permission from the local panchayat for the shoot. However, the Delhi-based youths had arrived a day earlier to explore the location.