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Kedarnath valley continues to remain inaccessible
No lack of resources to deal with calamity: CM
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Centre to give 12 more choppers to state for rescue operations
PM, Sonia Gandhi assure Bahuguna of all help
5 villagers dead, 20 missing after cloudburst in Kumaon
Severest disaster of the century, says
Nishank
Sanitary Workers’ Union Poll
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Kedarnath valley continues to remain inaccessible
Dehradun, June 18 "We are yet to access the full impact of the devastation from the ground as many parts of Rudraprayag and Kedarnath continue to be completely cut off. In the morning, we undertook sorties with the help of a helicopter and evacuated 77 persons. A large amount of the debris has collected around the Kedarnath temple and 100-200 pilgrims are said to be seeking shelter in the vicinity of the temple," said Garhwal Commissioner Suverdhan. Suverdhan said the debris collected around the temple could pose a threat to its retaining walls and
their first priority tomorrow morning would be to access the condition of the Himalayan shrine, the foundation of which was laid by Shankaracharya. Suverdhan said the services of a private helicopter were also utilised for evacuating 77 pilgrims and food packets were dropped at Guptkashi and other areas. "But there was a dense fog and the entire area appeared submerged in water, so food packets were dropped in safe areas," he said. Refraining from giving exact figures on the number of persons who may have died in the Kedar valley, the Commissioner said the situation was quite grim and in the Kedar valley alone, the total number of casualties could be 100-200 He said tomorrow morning, the administration would use a small helicopter for distributing food packets. "The small helicopter would aid us in taking low sorties and this way we would be able to reach the stranded pilgrims," said
Suverdhan. |
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No lack of resources to deal with calamity: CM
Dehradun, June 18 He was presiding over a high-level meeting held at the Secretariat, which was attended by Leader of the Opposition Ajay Bhatt, former minister Prakash Pant, Cabinet minister Indira Hridyesh and SS Negi. It emerged from the meeting that party-based politics would not come in the way of tackling the natural disaster. The Chief Minister said there was no lack of resources in dealing with the calamity. He said pilgrims were being rescued by helicopters and till the time they were rescued, they were being provided all necessary help. Bahuguna said the Central Government had expressed sympathy and promised all possible help. He said the Garhwal Commissioner and the DIG were monitoring the situation by helicopter. As many as 400 jawans of the NDRF had gone to the affected areas. Hundred jawans were in reserve in Haridwar. The Army, the ITBP, the NDRF and other institutions and organisations were helping
the administration. He said the NDRF Commandant had reached Guptkashi. Army, NDRF and ITBP teams with their communication equipment had reached
sensitive areas. The Chief Minister expressed hope that all people stranded in Kedarnath would soon be rescued. He said people should remain patient and calm and relief would soon reach to them. He said ATF trucks should reach Srinagar and Chinialisaur so that helicopters could be fuelled. He directed officials to reach all affected areas. Three companies of the PAC have been put on work. Nearly 800-1,000 vehicles have been safely sent back via Kotdwar. A BSNL team has been sent to Kedarnath to restore connectivity. It was decided that Ajay Bhatt and Cabinet minister SS Negi will tour the region and assess the situation. Former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank also met the Chief Minister and assured him of all support. Bahuguna thanked him and said suggestions of the Opposition would be implemented. Present at the meeting were MP Mala Rajya Lakshmi Shah, MLAs Umesh Sharma and Rajkumar, Chief Secretary Subhash Kumar and senior officials of
the ITBP. |
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Centre to give 12 more choppers to state for rescue operations
Dehradun, June 18 Chief Minister Bahuguna said that focus is to rescue pilgrims stranded on the Kedarnath route. Senior Army officials informed the Chief Minister that a large number of pilgrims from Kedarnath had been evacuated to safer areas. Bahuguna said that stranded pilgrims should be provided food, medicines and warm clothing on priority basis. He directed Garhwal Commissioner Suvardhan to camp at Gauchar to coordinate with Army authorities for better coordination of rescue and relief operations. He said that hundreds of people had been evacuated from Kedarnath and others would be rescued soon. He further said that Srinagar-Kotdwar road had been opened and more than 1000 stranded vehicles had been sent
via Kotdwar. Bahuguna said that 100 metric tonnes of rice had been sanctioned for Uttarakhand. The state government had demanded 2,000 metric tonnes of rice and wheat and 500 metric tonnes of sugar and 500 kilo litres of kerosene from the Central
Government. |
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PM, Sonia Gandhi assure Bahuguna of all help
Dehradun, June 18 The Prime Minister talked to the Chief Minister on the telephone and got information about the latest situation about the rescue and
relief efforts. Bahuguna requested him for more central assistance to cope up with the natural disaster in the state. The Prime Minister assured Bahuguna that the Union Home and Defence ministries would extend all possible help to the state government in the rescue and relief operations. The Chief Minister also talked to Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and Defence Minister AK Antony and requested them to provide more resources to the state. He asked for more helicopters to reach all parts of the state to rescue stranded people and provide relief to the local population. Both ministers assured him of
all help. Meanwhile,UPA Chairperson and Congress President Sonia Gandhi today talked to Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna over the phone and expressed grief and sorrow at the loss of lives and property in the natural disaster that has struck the state. She promised all help to the state in the hour of crisis. She assured the Chief Minister that the entire country stood by him in the rescue, relief and rehabilitation efforts of the state government. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot also talked to Bahuguna and told him about a relief of Rs 2 crore to be provided by his government. The Chief Ministers of several other states also talked to Bahuguna and enquired about the natural disaster. |
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5 villagers dead, 20 missing after cloudburst in Kumaon
Pithoragarh, June 18 According to information, the villagers from Tezam and Cherti villages in Darma valley had gone to Chipla Kedar meadows and were staying in two separate tents erected near the meadows. “Last night, a cloudburst occurred at the place, resulting in a landslide beneath the tents of villagers, killing five of them. Twenty others were missing from the spot,” said Dungar Singh Danu, village Pradhan of Tezam village, in a message sent to Dharchula subdivisional administration from the spot that is at 11,000 feet altitude. “The dead villagers have been identified as Digar Singh Parihar, Manju Devi, Champa Kunwar and Laxman Singh Kunwar of Tezam village,” said the gram pradhan in the message sent by him. According to district disaster management officer RS Rana, though the information has not been confirmed through administration sources, the villagers gave information that the tents erected at some places had disappeared. “Some villagers are calling it an incident of cloudburst at that place, while others are calling it a landslide,” said RS Rana, district disaster management officer. 150-yr-old bridge washed away
The 150-year-old suspension bridge over the Kali river, which links the country with Nepal at Jauljibi, washed away by the swirling waters of the river last evening. As many as 500 persons living near the bridge area have been shifted to higher places at Jauljibi town. The Kumaon Commissioner today visited Dharchula and Munsiyari subdivisions to take stock of the situation. According to the district administration, besides damage to property and loss of cattle, two human deaths have been reported in the area. Pithoragarh District Magistrate Neeraj Khairwal said 13 roads were blocked in Madkot and Jauljibi towns. The district administration has opened two relief camps at Madkot and Jauljibi for those who have been rendered homeless due to rain fury. He said the loss to property was being assessed by teams of
revenue officers. |
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Rains hit tourism badly in Nainital
Pithoragarh, June 18 Jagati said nearly 5,000 households were dependant on tourism in the town. Nainital was established by the British as their summer resort in the mid 19th century. “Hotel owners and other people dependant on tourists’ flow in the town suffered losses compared to the last year as out of 80,000 tourists who were expected to remain in the town during June about 15,000 were left,” he said. According to hotel owners, nearly 550 hotels provide accommodations to more than 80,000 tourists during the summer in the town and earn their livelihood for the whole year. “Besides hotel and restaurant owners, transporters, taxi drivers, boat owners and shopkeepers are totally dependant on the tourists’ arrival during the season,” said Jagati. “Nainital towndoes nearly Rs 40 crore of tourist business every year and 80 per cent of this is earned during the summer. “This shortened tourist season will not only affects Nainital but also adjoining towns of Almora, Jageshwar, Kausani, Binsar, Ranikhet and Munsiyari. Tourists make a base at Nainital and frequent these towns,” he said. |
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Severest disaster of the century, says
Nishank
Dehradun, June 18 He alleged that the official machinery had completely failed and thousands of pilgrims and tourists were finding it difficult to survive. He said that there were no control rooms and the stranded people had been left to fend for themselves. He would be touring Uttarkashi areas tomorrow.
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SBI donates Rs 2 crore for CM’s Relief Fund
Dehradun, June 18 Last year also SBI had donated Rs 2 crore for the flood victims of the state towards the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. Diwakar Bhatt, DGM (B&O), Zonal Office, Dehradun, and RJS Randhawa, DGM (Agri-Business unit), Delhi Circle, were also present on the occasion. Donates
ambulance
Chairman of the State Bank of India (SBI) Pradip Chaudhary inaugurated Community Service Program under bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility Scheme at its zonal branch on New Cantt Road in Dehradun yesterday. He donated an ambulance to HIHT hospital and a ventilator and monitors to Sri Mahant Indresh Hospital. Chaudhary said, recently bank had installed facility of talking ATMs’ for visually handicapped customers equipped with the voice devices to enable the customers seek the facility at eight locations in Dehradun. The Chariman said the bank had also distributed fans and water purifier to schools in the town. On the occasion, Chief General Manager Kajol Ghosh, General Manager Manju Aggarwal and Deputy General Manager Diwakar Bhatt were also present. |
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Norms relaxed for skill development honorarium
Dehradun, June 18 The strict rules norms which were part of the scheme that was introduced in November 2012 for the jobless youth of the state were proving to be a big hindrance in availing of the scheme. “The Cabinet has decided to relax the registration norms by doing away with the compulsory registration period of four years to one year at the different employment exchanges and also approved the extension of the scheme to diploma holders from ITIs and polytechnics,” said Chief Secretary Subash Kumar, while speaking with mediapersons yesterday. He said now inter pass/ diploma holders but jobless youth would be entitled to receive a monthly honorarium of Rs 750, the graduate but jobless youth Rs 1000 and the postgraduate but jobless youth Rs 1,500. The Cabinet also approved some new elements in the relief and rehabilitation policy for projects aimed at the Lakwar Vyasi Power Project proposed on the Yamuna river. “ Now in case of barren land that is up for acquisition for the project, the land owner would be compensated at the rate of Rs 2 lakh per hectare. In case 70 per cent of the land is acquired, the possesses of the land would be compensated at the rate of Rs 10 lakh per hectare, and in case 50 per cent of the land is acquired the compensation would be at the rate of the Rs 5 lakh per hectare. The compensation would be made by the company undertaking the project and the provisions are for landless farmers/ farm labourers,” said Kumar.. Further, the displaced BPL card holders owning shops to be acquired for the project would be compensated at the rate of Rs 2 lakh per 25 sq metre shop in the market area. Artisans and small business holders would be compensated with a capital seed money of Rs 50,000 per family and Rs 50,000 per family as compensatory assistance for small workshop owners. Even those staying in rented houses would be paid compensation for 500 days and farm labourers would be compensated through minimum wages for 750 days. In the tribal area of Chakrata the compensation rates would be fixed on the basis of the rates prevailing in the neighbouring areas of Dehradun and Tehri. The Cabinet approved bringing an ordinance for ensuring that the Sub Component Plan for SC and Subcomponent Plan for ST is properly spent. In another decision the government enhanced the one time grant being given to the members belonging to SC and ST communities from Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000 in case of marriage of their daughters and the one time illness fund from Rs 2,000 to Rs 10,000. Even the reimbursement scheme for students belonging to SC and ST students in institutions recognised by All India Council of Technical Education and Medical Council of India would now be reimbursed by the state government as soon as the students get admission. The government also approved assured career progression for government employees after 10, 16 and 26 years in place of 10,18 and 26 years. |
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Sanitary
Workers’ Union Poll
Dehradun, June 18 Sanjay’s father and former president of the USWA tried to pressure Election Officer and Executive Engineer Ravi Pandey, who after consulting the Mukhya Nagar Adhikari and other senior officers, including Additional Mukhya Nagar Adhikari Harshwardhan Mishra, decided to uphold the Mayor’s order. This left Sanjay with two options. He had to either relinquish his post of acting supervisor or withdraw his nomination. He opted for the second. Chandermohan Kala, Sanjay’s father, rued that Chamoli was successful in ousting his son from the election. He, however, expressed satisfaction that the other two candidates vying for the seat of president, Madan and Rajesh Kumar, were pro-Congress. He said no matter what Chamoli does, the Congress would support the sanitary workers’ union, the election of which would be held on June 29.
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