This comes after the Court of Civil Judge (Senior Division)-Cum-Employees’ Compensation Commissioner directed the employer company Indira Priyadarshini Hydro Power Private Limited to deposit the total sum under the Employees’ Compensation Act, 1923.
Compensation amount deposited will be disbursed among the dependents of the deceased and missing workers as per norms.
The disaster happened on June 25, 2025, when a cloudburst triggered flash floods in the Manuni rivulet.
The labourers were working on the under-construction Manuni-2 Hydroelectric Power Project, a sister concern of the Indira Priyadarshini Hydroelectric Power Project, when the flash floods struck, washing away eight workers from the worksite.
Seven bodies were recovered during search operation spanning several weeks while one worker remains missing.
The victims were from Kangra and Chamba districts in Himachal Pradesh, Doda district in Jammu & Kashmir, and Deoria in Uttar Pradesh.
The employer had reported the accident but delayed depositing the compensation amount.
Taking note of the delay, the court had issued directions to ensure compliance under the Employees’ Compensation Act, following which the company deposited the amount.
Ravinder Singh Ravi, Himachal Pradesh General Secretary of Trade Union Coordination Centre (TUCC), who raised the issue of delayed compensation on various platforms, said that compensation will be released to eligible dependents through the office of the Employee’s Compensation Commissioner.
He said the District Legal Services Authorities in Kangra, Chamba, Doda and Deoria will assist the disbursement process.
The court has also allowed transfer of compensation to the beneficiaries’ native districts, if required, to spare them repeated visits to Dharamsala.
The incident had affected multiple households, including two families that lost two members each.
In one case, a father and son from Deoria district were among the deceased, while in another, a similar loss was reported from Kangra district.
Those were killed included Chain Singh from Doda, (J&K); Aditya Thakur, Chamba; Pradeep Verma and his son Chandan from Deoria (UP); Sanjeev Kumar and his son Nitin Kumar from Fatehpur in Kangra; and Paramjeet Singh also from Fatehpur. Vipin from Chamba is still missing.
Ravi said that the court had found negligence on the part of the company, noting that labourers’ sheds had been erected on the riverbed, which contributed to the casualties.