Search for the body in progress at Joida. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur, Dec. 27: The body of Sandeep Pal, who drowned in the Subarnarekha yesterday while trying to retrieve a football that had fallen into the river, is yet to be found.

The victim?s family members and friends paced the river banks anxiously this morning even as search operations were on in full swing at Joida picnic spot. Some of Pal?s friends volunteered to help in the rescue operation, which kicked off 20 hours after the incident.

Twenty-six-year-old Pal, an apprentice of Tata Motors and a resident of Telco Colony, had gone to Joida with friends for a picnic. The youth drowned in the river stretch that passes through Joida in Chandil area along National Highway 33.

Chandil police station officer in-charge M.M. Singh said: ?We deployed divers from the Chandil dam and also took help from village youths. The divers went deep under the water but could not find the body. I think Pal?s body has been swept away by strong currents.? He added that search operations would continue till evening.

Sanjay Kumar Mahato, a resident of Ghoranaghi village, who is part of the search team, said the decomposed body would float on the surface after 36 hours. ?We have observed that bodies of those who drown in this river stretch float on the surface after 36 hours during winter,? Mahato said.

The villagers flung tyres with anchors into the river and went around the river on them. ?Body ta pava jaben na. Khoob moskil kaaj (Finding the body is a difficult task),? said Mahato.

Brahmanand Saraswati, priest of the Joida temple, said: ?I live in this temple for the past 40 years. I am witness to about 100 deaths by drowning in this particular stretch.?

Yesterday?s tragic accident has thrown up questions regarding how safe are these picnic spots in Joida, Palna, Chandil dam. Incidents of drowning, eve-teasing and loot are rampant in these areas. Two city-based youths drowned in Joida a few months ago. A group of picnickers from Calcutta were teased and assaulted by students of Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College at Dimna a couple of years ago.

When this correspondent visited Joida today he saw no security personnel, even though there were a large number of picnickers near the river side. Moreover, there were no sign boards near the danger zones in the river.

Chandil subdivisional officer Saroj Srivastava said: ?It?s a serious issue. We must adopt safety measures and put up adequate number of sign boards. I will ask the district police to look into the matter.?

Burnwal said he would be soon give directives to the police to intensify patrolling at the picnic spots. ?I will issue instructions to the police stations concerned to deploy more security personnel at the picnic spots and put up sign boards at the danger zones,? he added.