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Quake toll 72, landslides derail rescue operations
Maximum casualties in Sikkim n Aftershocks keep people on tenterhooks n Inclement weather compounds woes n Many areas without power
New Delhi/Gangtok, Sept 19
Landslides and inclement weather today hampered rescue operations in the quake-hit Sikkim as the death toll in the 6.8 magnitude temblor mounted to 72, including 41 in the Himalayan state.

A woman clears rubble to make way for pedestrians after the earthquake in Kathmandu. — PTI

Sikkim Earthquake
Braving cold, rain & fear, people spend night in open
Gangtok/Darjeeling, Sept 19
Braving cold and pouring rain, Frightened residents spent the night outside their homes in the areas rocked by yesterday's quake in Sikkim and West Bengal.

Army personnel distribute food among the quake-hit locals in Gangtok. — AFP

Quakes don’t kill, buildings do
New Delhi, September 19
Loss of lives during an earthquake is mostly due to damage or collapse of houses and structures. However, any structure can bear the vibrations resulting from an earthquake if it has enough strength and sturdiness, says the Indian Meteorological Department.

THE AFTEREFFECT: A building damaged in the quake in Sikkim. — A Tribune photograph

The race for SGPC chief’s post hots up 
Chandigarh/Amritsar, Sept 19
With the Shiromani Akali Dal sweeping the SGPC elections, the race for presidentship of the premier Sikh religious body is set to hot up in the coming days. It will not be easy for SAD chief patron and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to chose the next SGPC president with several senior leaders in race for the post.

TRIBUNE FOLLOW-UP
BABUS OVERSTAYING tenure
DoPT takes the blame, asks ministries to do their bit
New Delhi, September 19
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) today accepted responsibility for implementation of the Rotational Transfer Policy (RTP) in place since 2007 for officers of the Central Secretariat Services, but said ministries too must cooperate for the provision to become a success.

Jethmalani now names Ahmed Patel in cash-for-vote scam
New Delhi, September 19
Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh's counsel Ram Jethmalani today made a U-turn and named in a Delhi court Congress leader Ahmed Patel as the source for the money in the 2008 cash-for-vote scam.

Pak wants China rail link through PoK Beijing, September 19 Pakistan wants China to construct a rail link through Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) and a network of oil and gas pipelines, which will help cut costs for Beijing's burgeoning energy needs and ensure mutual benefit. Plans are afoot to upgrade Karakoram Highway