Chandigarh, Sept. 18 -- The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday demanded a judicial probe into the "non-maintenance" of the Madhopur barrage in Pathankot. In a statement here, senior SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema said, "Only a judicial probe can fix accountability for the negligence which led to the collapse of three gates of the Madhopur barrage and subsequent destruction of standing crops across lakhs of acres besides 56 deaths and loss of thousands of livestock."

Accusing the state government of shifting the blame on a private company, Cheema said, "A show-cause notice was issued to Level Biz Private Limited for submitting a report that 6.2 lakh cusecs of water can pass through the Madhopur headworks. The firm's subsequent reply r...