M A I N   N E W S

Social activist wins Magsaysay Award

Jaipur, July 30
The Rajasthan Chief Minister, Mr Ashok Gehlot, today congratulated social activist Rajendra Singh for bagging the Ramon Magsaysay Award for community leadership in spearheading a mass rural movement for water conservation in the arid regions of Alwar district of Rajasthan.

Mr Rajendra Singh was the lone Indian among the recipients of the Magsaysay Award, announced in Manila today. It will be presented to the awardees at a function in Manila on August 31.

With Mr Rajendra Singh getting the prestigious award, Rajasthan achieved the honour for the second successive year. Last year, another noted activist of the state, Ms Aruna Roy, had received the award for community development. UNI

4 killed, 3 missing in flashfloods
Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, July 30
Three girls were washed away in flashfloods and an equal number of Gujjars were reported missing last night due to heavy rain in the Chotta Bhangal area of Baijnath, the flashfloods caused a damage of over Rs 1 crore to private and public property. A labourer working at the Binwa power project at Utrala was also washed away in the flashfloods.

According to the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Prabodh Saxena, who returned from the affected areas heavy damage had been caused by the flashfloods in the Deol and Multhan areas in Malahan sub-tehsil. Extensive damage had been caused to property. A mahila mandal office, government primary school, four bridges and eight water mills had been completely washed away in the Lohardi area, he added.

The three girls killed were Sarta Devi (18), Taro Devi (17) and an unidentified girl of the same age group. The three were returning home from a fair in a nearby village, when the foot bridge they were crossing in the Anderli Malahan area broke. The bodies of two had been recovered.

Mr Saxena, who rushed to the affected areas early in the morning, said the concentration of the flashflood was in the Deol area. He informed that a Rs 40-lakh bridge of the PWD, having a span of 22 metres, was washed away. The bridge, 7 km away from Baijnath, connected it with the Deol area.

The Deputy Commissioner said locals informed him that three Gujjars had also been missing since last night. Though their bodies had not still been traced, yet it was feared that they had been washed away by the flashfloods. They had been identified as Nihalu Ram, Dhelu Ram and his wife Roshni Devi.

Mr Saxena informed that there had been an estimated damage of over Rs 75 lakh in the Deol area alone, whereas the damage in the Multhan area was yet to be assessed. Due to heavy rain and the flashfloods, the Binwa khud has changed its course near Deol village. Several hundred bighas of cultivated land had been inundated due to last night’s heavy rain.

Rescue teams had been despatched to the affected areas and reports of damage were still pouring in. A relief of Rs 5,000 had been given to the families of the two girls who had been killed, while the third girl still remained unidentified.