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The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday denied that there was any laxity on the part of the district officials of Mainpuri in carrying out relief work at Motta, where senior Congress leader Madhavrao Scindia and seven others were killed in a plane crash on Sunday.
Principal Secretary (Home) Naresh Dayal told reporters that the officials couldn't be blamed for the delay caused in the removal of the bodies from the site of the crash, as heavy rains and marshy land had made it very difficult to reach there.
The entire stretch of 2 to 3 km in and around the site of the mishap was submerged under rainwater and the marshy land conditions made relief work difficult, Dayal said, adding that tractors had to be brought in to pull out the bodies.
The district administration and top officials in Lucknow constantly monitored the situation and did everything possible to speed up the removal of bodies, he said.
He, however, admitted that there was a slight delay in the panchnama of the bodies as they were beyond recognition.
Dayal said in spite of the rains, Chief Minister Rajnath Singh took the risk of flying to the area to supervise the relief work.
The Congress had charged the Mainpuri administration of apathy and slackness in the removal of the bodies and demanded action against the guilty.
PTI
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