UP govt keen to set up 63 family courts

LUCKNOW: In a bid to dispose off cases related to marital disputes, UP government has issued a notification for constitution of family courts in districts that are deprived of it. Presently, only 12 districts out of 75 have a family court. With the government notification, all districts will own a family court.

The need for the family court in each district has emerged due to ever increasing number of cases arising due to marital disputes. If officials at law department are to be believed, the figure stands in lakhs and the pendency is increasing every day. "Every marital dispute case gives birth to several other cases between two families,'' said an official.

In this regard, the law department after creating the posts has sent a letter to the Allahabad high court informing them of the development. The constitution of 63 family courts will result in appointments of 504 employees on various positions.According to the government officials, the presiding officers in these family courts will be appointed by the Governor on the High Court's recommendation from the Higher Judicial Services (HJS) cadre. The 156 ex-cadre posts of the fast tract courts, which no more exist, will be absorbed by these courts. Each family court will be headed by an additional district and sessions judge, who will operate under the district judge.

To set up the family courts, the state government has sought financial assistance of the Central government. Officials said that it was in May 2008 that the registrar of the High Court had written to the state government, expressing the need to constitute family courts in every district. Another reminder was sent in May last year.

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BJP charges JD(U) with 'criminal negligence' in rescuing pilgrims

PATNA: BJP on Sunday alleged that JD(U) government in Bihar has committed "criminal negligence" by failing to provide proper assistance to pilgrims from Bihar stranded in Uttarakhand, unlike other states including Gujarat.

"The state government's efforts towards arranging for medicines, food and transportation for return journey for the pilgrims was woefully inadequate as it had done nothing except belatedly setting up camp office in Dehradun," senior BJP leader and ex-deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi said.

This inaction was "outright criminal negligence" and it had hurt religious sentiment of the people who will teach the party a "lesson" at an appropriate time, Modi told reporters.

Seeking to make this a political issue, the friend-turned-foe of chief minister Nitish Kumar said he would sit on a 24-hour fast in Patna on July 8.

Besides, the state government's failure to provide relief works for pilgrims, the fast would also be in protest against the police firing in Bagaha last week in which seven Tharu tribals were killed, he said.

The senior BJP leader defended Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi for visiting Uttarakhand asking "What is wrong in visiting Uttarakhand and arranging for relief and transportation of the stranded Gujarati people?"

Referring to 'Rambo' jibe at Modi by Congress, the Bihar BJP leader said instead of berating him, other chief ministers should have taken a cue and done the same thing by bringing back their own people.

He claimed that Kumar held the first meeting on stranded Bihari pilgrims on June 21, five days after the disaster had struck the mountain state.

Taking a potshot at the chief minister for his growing proximity with the Congress, which voted for JD(U) government during trust vote earlier this month, he said Kumar should have taken the help of the Centre and arranged for special trains to bring the stranded people back.

"All the state government did was setting up a camp office in Dehradun and putting figures of those missing (56) and rescued (611) on the website of the state disaster management department," Modi added.

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Uttarakhand: Death toll uncertain, minister says 10,000 just an 'estimate'

DEHRADUN/HARIDWAR: There was still no clarity over the number of deaths in the flood-ravaged Uttarakhand, with a state minister on Sunday not ruling out an "estimate" of 10,000-plus and chief minister Vijay Bahuguna putting the number of missing people at 3,000.

Uttarakhand health minister Surinder Singh Negi did not discount assembly speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal's claim on Saturday of the toll in the tragedy having crossed 10,000.

"He (Kunjwal) has given an estimated figure. At the moment, it is an estimate. It can go down, or it could go up. It is too early to give the exact number of deaths in the tragedy that has completely devastated the state," Negi told IANS.

The estimates, he said, were based on what evacuated people recounted to the rescue teams and to government officials.

Bahuguna, meanwhile, put the number of people missing in the flash floods at 3,000.

"After taking into consideration all the missing person reports lodged in this state and elsewhere, I have been told that the number of those missing is around 3,000," Bahuguna said.

The chief minister said that kin of all missing people should report to the authorities, so that compensation can be given to them on the basis of an affidavit.

The incessant and intense rains that hit the hill state over three days from June 14 triggered flash floods and landslides, leading to hundreds of deaths and resulting in hundreds more going missing.

Though over 100,000 people have been evacuated so far, hundreds were still stranded.

While around 300-400 people are still stranded in Badrinath area and are waiting to be rescued, hundreds of porters and over 2,000 ponies are still untraceable.

NGOs claimed that some of them have been swept away by the flood waters or have been stranded and needed immediate evacuation or they could die of starvation.

With many bodies still buried under 5-10 feet high mounds of debris in the Kedarnath valley area, the threat of an epidemic due to decaying corpses loomed large.

"Our first priority is to dig out the bodies. The second is to restore the entire route of the Kedarnath valley. The third is to see that there is no outbreak of epidemic. We are monitoring the situation. So far, there is no fear," health minister Negi said.

To hasten the process, the state government has sought earth-excavating machines from the central government. It has also sought 100 tonnes of bleaching powder to help dispose of the carcasses of animals killed.

"It is not possible to manually dig out the bodies. We have asked for these machines from the central government. The machines can be air dropped, and with their help we would be able to dig out the bodies in the Kedarnath Valley," said Negi.

Kedarnath, one of the revered pilgrimage sites for millions of Hindus, is situated at an altitude of 3,586 metres in the lap of the majestic mountain peaks and near the head of the Mandakini river. It can be reached after a steep 14-km-long trek.

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan demanded the central government should declare a national environment policy to stop illegal construction and prevent a disaster like the one that devastated Uttarakhand.

He also asked for the Uttarakhand flash floods to be declared a national calamity.

"When you tamper with nature, then nature will unleash its fury on you," Chouhan, who had come to Haridwar to meet evacuated people from his state, told IANS.

Talking of the mushrooming of several buildings near rivers in Uttarakhand, he said: "Illegal construction and corruption go hand in hand."

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Flood situation worsens in Assam

GUWAHATI: Flood situation in Assam worsened on Sunday with 43 more villages in three districts getting submerged, while water entered the Kaziranga National Park where an antelope was killed, officials said. About 65,000 people of 170 villages in seven districts - Dhemaji, Tinsukia, Golaghat, Jorhat, Kamrup, Karimganj and Lakhimpur - were affected. However, there was no report of any casualty.

According to Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), Brahmaputra and its tributaries Jia Bharali and Dikhow were flowing over danger mark at Jorhat, Sonitpur and Sivasagar. Altogether 43 villages have come under water in Dhemaji, Jorhat and Sivasagar districts since Saturday affecting nearly 5,000 people. Around 800 people are taking shelter in three relief camps in Dhemaji.

As per ASDMA records, a total of almost 2,400 hectare of agricultural land with standing crops have been submerged in the affected districts. While heavy rains were reported from various parts of the state, erosion was noticed on Khalihamari Butikur road in Dhemaji.

Due to severe flood, most of the roads and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) schemes have been affected. Besides, one bridge has been washed away in Sadiya sub-division of Tinsukia district. Six roads have also been damaged in Golaghat along with a bridge. Embankments were breached at two places in Karimganj, the sources said. ASDMA said people 15 villages of Majuli, the world's largest river island, were marooned.

Meanwhile, an antelope was killed and another injured while trying move to a highland as water entered Burapahar and Bagori ranges of the Kaziranga National Park (KNP), a world heritage site. The two animals were hit by a speeding vehicle last night when they were crossing NH 37 along the Park to move to the highlands in neighbouring Karbi Anglong district through the Mirimihi animal corridor, KNP sources said. The injured antelope was sent to the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation.

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VHP leader arrested for serial blasts in Mathura

LUCKNOW: Jagdish Anant, Vishwa Hindu Parishad's( VHP's) district president of Mathura, has been arrested on charges of engineering serial blasts in Kosi Kalanarea of Mathuraon May 30.

Senior suprintendent of police of Mathura, RKS Rathore, when contacted, confirmed arrest of Anant but denied any communal motive. "It was turning into a communal issue but we managed to bring things under control. Our investigation has revealed that the blasts were minor in nature and bombs were like fire crackers. It was a mischievous act done to protest poor power supply in the area," he said. He also described Anant as a small leader.

However, muslim clerics of the area have alleged that people associated sangh parivarar were responsible not only for the blasts aimed to terrorise people but also for the riots which took place in Kosikalan last year in June. Four people had died in the violence which triggered after a youth washed his hands in the water kept outside a religious place for those coming to offer prayers.

Muslim clerics alleged that they had informed the Akhilesh Yadav government but it took no action. BJP leaders, on the other hand, accused Muslim hardliners for the blasts and riots. They described arrest as a conspiracy hatched by the Samajwadi Party government led by Akhilesh Yadav which is resorting to minority appeasement. Some VHP, BJP and Bajrag Dal activists also protested Anant's arrest.

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India inducts new power-packed stealth frigate

NEW DELHI: In tune with its operational drive to turn "stealthy" because surprise and deception are crucial in modern-day warfare, the Navy inducted its latest guided-missile stealth frigate INS Trikhand on Saturday.

INS Trikand is the last of the six stealth frigates ordered from Russia. The Navy had earlier inducted three 4,000-tonne Talwar-class stealth frigates ( Talwar, Trishul and Tabar) from Russia in 2003-2004.

Then, impressed by the punch the frigates packed, India ordered another three (Teg, Tarkash and Trikand) under a $1.15 billion contract inked in 2006.

On Saturday, Navy vice chief Vice admiral R K Dhowan commissioned INS Trikand at a ceremony at Kaliningrad in Russia, which was also attended by the Indian ambassador Ajai Malhotra and other top Indian and Russian officials.

"Her sister ships INS Teg and INS Tarkash were commissioned last year and are now undertaking operations as part of the Western Fleet," said an officer. INS Trikand carries a state-of-the-art combat suite, which includes the supersonic 290-km BrahMos missile system, Shtil advanced surface-to-air missiles, an upgraded A-190 medium range gun, an electro-optical 30-mm close-in weapon system, anti-submarine weapons such as torpedoes and rockets and an advanced electronic warfare system.

"The weapons and sensors are integrated through a combat management system 'Trebovanie-M', which enables the ship to simultaneously neutralise multiple surface, sub-surface and air threats," said the officer.

The ship also incorporates "innovative" features to reduce its radar, magnetic and acoustic "signatures" to ensure it is relatively difficult to detect by enemy radars. Powered by four gas turbines, the frigate is capable of speeds in excess of 30 knots. "The ship, commanded by Captain Ajay Kochhar with a crew of 300 officers and sailors, can also carry an integrated Kamov-31 helicopter suited for airborne early warning roles," he said.

India, of course, is also building its own stealth frigates. Three Shivalik-class frigates, built at Mazagon Docks (MDL), have already been inducted by the Navy. Then, there is an over Rs 50,000 crore plan on the anvil to construct seven advanced stealth frigates, with all weapon and missile systems under the hull for a lower radar "signature", in a programme called Project-17A.

The project will be shared between MDL at Mumbai and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) at Kolkata.

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Vote for Nitish 'strategy', decision on alliance later: Congress

PATNA: The Congress on Saturday said it voted for Nitish Kumar government on its trust motion as part of a 'strategy' and would decide about having an alliance with JD(U) or RJD only after announcement of the Lok Sabha polls.

"The Congress is a political party and it voted for Nitish Kumar on the trust motion as part of the strategy to keep communal forces away," Congress general secretary and in-charge of Bihar affairs C P Joshi told reporters.

"It was one-day session and there was one agenda (trust vote). So we went with the Nitish Kumar government after it separated from BJP. But Congress will fight against the Bihar government if it pursues any anti-people activity," Joshi said.

"Right now our efforts will be to make Congress stand on its own feet in the state. The question of alliance will be dealt with when Lok Sabha polls are announced," he said.

Appreciating Nitish Kumar's decision to sever ties with BJP, he said, "When he (Nitish Kumar) realised that BJP was using him to pursue its communal agenda, he severed ties with it which is appreciable," Joshi, a close confidante of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, said.

This is Joshi's first visit to Bihar after being made the in-charge of the state.

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P Sathasivam to be new Chief Justice of India

NEW DELHI: Supreme court Judge P Sathasivam will be appointed as the next Chief Justice of India (CJI) after the expiry of present incumbent Altamas Kabir's tenure.

President Pranab Mukherjee has given his nod for the appointment of Sathasivam as the next Chief Justice, official sources said.

64-year-old Sathasivam joined as a permanent judge of the Madras high court in January 1996 after which he was transferred to the Punjab and Haryana high court in April 2007.

He was appointed as a Supreme Court judge on August 21, 2007.

Sathasivam, who will be the 40th CJI, will have tenure till April 26, 2014.

The incumbent Chief Justice retires on July 18 after having a little over nine months tenure. Kabir was appointed CJI on September 29 last year.

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More areas flooded in Assam as rivers rise

GUWAHATI: More areas were flooded in Assam on Saturday due to surging waters of Brahmaputra river and its tributaries, which continued to swell due to incessant rains in Arunachal Pradesh, officials said. There was no report of casualties.

Several villages in Assam's river island Majuli were submerged under waters since Friday night. Officials of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said that fresh areas in Tinsukia district have been inundated by flood waters since Friday.

More areas of Dhemaji district have also been inundated by floods forcing the district administration to open three relief camps for the flood-hit people, the ASDMA officials said adding that over 700 people are taking shelter in the camps.

More than 8,000 people have been affected by floods in Dhemaji and Tinsukia district taking the number of total flood-affected people in five districts of Assam to over 19,000, ASDMA officials said.

Although floods have damaged roads and houses at many places and breached embankments at several places, yet there is no human causality in the floods so far this year, the officials said.

However, the flood situation might turn worst as water level in major rivers like Brahmaputra and Jia Bharali are still showing a rising trend at many places in the flood-hit districts.

The waters in the Brahmaputra river have already been flowing over the danger mark in some areas and are showing a rising trend.

"Standing crops have been affected in over 1,200 hectares across the state since last few weeks," the flood bulletin released by the ASDMA said Saturday, adding that the floods have also affected over 10,000 animals and poultry.

Officials at the CWC said the Brahmaputra was flowing over the danger mark in Nimatighat in Jorhat and in Dibrugarh, and the Jia Bharali river was flowing over the danger mark in Sonitpur district.

The floods have damaged six roads and a bridge in Golaghat district, the ASDMA official said, adding that embankments were breached at two places in Karimganj district.

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Modi to decide on indicted Gujarat minister: BJP

NEW DELHI: The BJP on Saturday said that its Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi had to decide on continuation of state water resources minister Babubhai Bokhariya following his conviction in a case of illegal mining.

"The law should do its work. The decision has to be taken by the chief minister," Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Murli Manohar Joshi told reporters on questions regarding Bokhariya's resignation.

Asked about the party adopting double-standards as it had had virtually forced former Karnataka chief minister B S Yedyurappa to quit following his indictment by state Lokayukta, Joshi said each case has its own reality.

He said there was possibility of Bokhariya moving a higher court.

The Congress had on Friday launched an attack on Modi over the continuance of Bokhariya following his conviction by a sessions court in a case of illegal mining.

The party had said that BJP seeks removal of non-BJP ministers over slightest allegations but had allowed Bokhariya to remain in cabinet.

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Solar scam: Kerala chief minister's ex-aide arrested

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major embarrassment to Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy, his former personal assistant Tenny Joppan was on Friday arrested in connection with the 'solar panel' scam rocking the state for the last two weeks.

Joppan, who was removed from Chandy's office earlier this month, was arrested after day-long grilling by a special police team headed by ADGP Hemachandran, probing the scam.

A top police officer said that the arrest was made in connection with a case registered in Konni in Pathanamthitta district and Joppan will be produced in court on Saturday.

Joppan was summoned to the DySP's office at Chengannur in Alappuzha district on Friday and was questioned for several hours before effecting the arrest, police sources said.

A close personal aide of Chandy for long, Joppan was found to have made frequent phone calls to Saritha Nair, facing charge of cheating many people of huge sums by offering them solar energy solutions.

With the scam breaking out, Chandy removed Joppan and gunman Salim Raj from his personal staff for their suspected links with Saritha and Biju Radhakrishnan, the two accused in the case.

Ever since it came to light, the CPM-led LDF opposition has turned it into a lethal political weapon against the Congress-led UDF Government, demanding Chandy's resignation and a judicial probe into the scam.

Another employee in Chandy's office, Jikkumon Jacob, had resigned earlier this week for his alleged links in the case.

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SC asks Uttarakhand to airlift people, not make them walk

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Uttarakhand government not to force people caught in flash floods to walk long distances and said that they should instead be airlifted to safer places.

"The state government should not force people to walk long distances," a bench of justices AK Patnaik and Ranjan Gogoi said.

The state government assured the apex court that rescue operations will be over by tomorrow. It said at present 1,000 pilgrims are in Badrinath in a safe condition and there is no shortage of water, food materials there.

The bench, after going through the report of the state government, posted the case for hearing on July 3.

The bench was hearing a PIL filed by lawyer Ajay Bansal, who has sought the apex court's directions to the Centre and state government to rescue people stranded in the flood hit areas in Uttarakhand.

Earlier, on June 20, the court had directed the Centre and the state to make all out efforts to rescue thousands of people stranded there and to provide them food and drinking water.

It had also directed the governments to deploy sufficient number of helicopters to rescue flood-affected people in the state.

The bench had also asked the Centre and National Disaster Management Authority to provide all required resources to the state government and to file action taken reports.

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Kerala govt modifies circular on Muslim wedding age

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Faced with severe criticism, Congress-led UDF government in Kerala on Friday modified its controversial circular issued to legalise marriages of Muslim women in age group of 16 to 18 and men below 21, making it clear that the order will not have prospective effect.

The new circular issued by the local self-government department clarified the marriages of women in the age of 16 to 18 and men under 21 took place till June 27 would be valid but the weddings of women below 18 and men 21 from Friday onwards would be invalid.

The earlier circular was not meant for any exemption for new marriages. It was only for regularising marriages of men under 21 years and girls below 18 but over 16 that had already been solemnised, it was stated.

The state cabinet, which had met on June 26, decided to have a re-look at the circular as it felt that the order's true intent had been "misunderstood" and "misinterpreted".

The government also made it clear that child marriage would not in any way be encouraged and strict action would be taken in such cases as per law.

The earlier circular authorised civic authorities to legally register the marriage of Muslim women above 16 years of age.

Left parties and their women and youth outfits have come out strongly against the circular, alleging it was meant to reduce the marriage age by circumventing legislations passed by Parliament and the orders of Supreme Court on the matter.

The department had justified the circular on the ground it was meant to overcome difficulties posed to Muslim couples already married in getting passports and other documents for migration to foreign countries for work.

The circular assumed a political dimension as local self-government department is under Indian Union Muslim League, the second largest partner in the ruling coalition led by Congress.

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AFSPA needed in Jammu and Kashmir, Salman Khurshid says

SRINAGAR: External affairs minister Salman Khurshid on Friday said Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) was needed in Jammu and Kashmir to protect the lives of armed forces as they are the ones who defend the country.

"You can argue that this (AFSPA) is not necessary and you can argue that we can now phase it out. You can argue that we can put more restrictions on it, but to say in black and white to take it off is not a reasonable or sensible thing to say," Khurshid told reporters here.

"This case is not to be decided by me. It is to be taken by the home minister, defence minister and, of course, the Prime Minister, who will finally take a call," he said.

Khurshid said there was a sense of loss and tragedy which was not only limited to the civilian population of places where AFSPA was in force.

"You think it is limited to only one section. We have lost some very brave people also. They did not come here on their own will. They were given orders. The latest count is of eight Army people who lost their lives ," he said in an apparent reference to the Srinagar terror attack on June 24, a day before the Prime Minister's visit to the state.

The Union minister said, irrespective of grievances against any state agency, people working there are also human beings who need to be protected.

"They also are good people there...If we count human lives, they are same whether in uniform or outside it. We have to protect them (armed forces) as well because they protect us," he said.

AFSPA was not only in Jammu and Kashmir but in the Northeast also, Khurshid said.

"This kind of discourse and discussion goes on there also. No one imposes AFSPA for fun. The circumstance become such that it has to be imposed. What kind of supervision should be there and what kind of accountability should be there is discussed not only here but also in Delhi by people who are not under this Act," he added.

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CBI seizes 18 kg gold from a GAIL official's locker

NEW DELHI: CBI on Friday seized nearly 18 kilograms of gold valuing over Rs 4.5 crore from the lockers of an official of Gas Authority of India Limited during searches in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand, in connection with graft allegations.

The sources said it was investigating allegations of corruption against a contractual clerk Shashikant Pandey who had demanded Rs 20,000 from a land owner whose land was taken by GAIL for laying down a gas pipeline in Rudrapur area.

When the owner approached CBI, the agency carried out a trap operation apprehending Pandey when he was allegedly receiving the bribe from the complainant.

The sources said that during searches at the office of Pandey, the agency recovered cash of Rs six lakhs. During the questioning, Pandey also named GAIL official Bhagwat Sagar Ojha who was allegedly his partner in the crime.

They said that during searches at the bank lockers of Ojha, CBI sleuths recovered gold worth 18 kilograms and five kilograms of silver.

The sources said the agency is also carrying out searches at his premises.

Ojha and Pandey have been taken into custody as the agency might slap a disproportionate assets case against them as well for amassing wealth beyond known sources of their income.

The sources said both would be produced before a court in Dehradun soon.

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Govt says no outbreak of any disease in Uttarakhand; 20 bravehearts to get Guard of Honour

NEW DELHI: The government on Thursday said no outbreak of any water, food or air-borne disease has been reported from the flood-affected areas of Uttarakhand.

A three-member high-level committee from the ministry of health and family welfare is in Dehradun to review the public health situations with state health authorities. The team had left on Wednesday.

"No outbreak of water borne/food borne/air borne or direct contact diseases has been reported from affected areas," said a health ministry statement.

It added that after picking up early warning signals, diarrhoea cases in Haridwar (Alwalpur), Uttarkashi (Udvi) and Rudraprayag (Chandrapuri) has been managed at incipient stage.

The ministry said district units of Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), NRHM is conducting health surveillance in all affected districts.

It said three central public health teams have already been posted in Uttarakhand and they have reported to principal secretary, health in Uttarakhand since June 23. Eight additional teams are also kept on standby, ready to move at short notice, the ministry said.

A specialist from National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme has been placed with the state government for providing assistance on matters pertaining to vector borne diseases, it said.

"The first three-member team from NIMHANS for providing psycho-social support is reaching Dehradun on Thursday in the afternoon. Two more teams (three-member each) are also on the way," the statement said.

According to the ministry, the state government has requested for specified quantity of 60 drug and non-drug items and three truckloads of these medical supplies have been delivered.

On the state's request, 10,00,000 chlorine tablets are being procured by the ministry.

20 bravehearts to get Guard of Honour

Twenty bravehearts, who died in Tuesday's chopper crash while rescuing stranded people in flood-ravaged areas of Uttarakhand, will be given a 'guard of honour', a ceremonial mark of respect, by the government on Friday in Dehradun.

"20 people belonging to National Disaster Response Force (nine), Indo Tibetan Border Police (six) and five from Indian Air Force will be a given guard of honour on Friday at 12.30pm in Dehradun," Vice chairman of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) M Shashidhar Reddy told reporters here. Reddy said he would be accompanying home minister Sushilkumar Shinde to Dehradun to pay homage to these brave personnel who laid down their lives in the service of the nation.

A sophisticated Mi-17V5 helicopter, belonging to IAF, had crashed in bad weather during a rescue mission in the flood-ravaged hill state. Bodies of all 20 personnel, on board the ill-fated chopper, have been recovered. He said so far over one lakh people have been evacuated from different areas of the state. "As many as 1,495 people have been evacuated till 2pm on Thursday both by air and by road. A total of 1,04,095 people have been evacuated so far since the disaster struck," Reddy said. He said that 560 people have died in the disaster, 476 have been injured and about 344 people are still missing. A total of 2,232 houses, 154 bridges and 320 roads have been damaged due to the disaster.

Reddy's figures are lower to official estimates of 822 people having lost their lives following the natural disaster in the hill state. Reddy hoped that the rescue operation would be completed by Friday.

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Minority welfare schemes reviewed in Bihar

PATNA: Union minority affairs minister K Rahman Khan and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday held a review meeting on the running of programmes for welfare of minority communities in the state and discussed ways and means to make them more effective.

The meeting on central as well state government schemes matched statistical achievement details of all the programmes for minorities welfare, which are in action in the state.

The chief minister told Rahman about the scholarship schemes for students, belonging to minority communities, under which those securing first division gets Rs 10,000 assistance, fencing of grave yards and skill development programmes, an official statement said here.

The meeting was attended by Union minister of state for minorities affairs Nirnong Irin, Bihar minorities welfare minister Shahid Ali Khan, chief secretary A K Sinha and principal secretary minorities affairs Amir Subhani.

Subhani said the chief minister informed the Union minister about the two new schemes launched by the state government, namely Chief Minister Employment Loan plan and Chief Minister Minority Education Loan Plan.

Under the first scheme, in the next five years a loan of Rs 125 crore would be provided to minorities for employment on simple interest, he said.

In the second programme, a loan of Rs 50 crore would be distributed among students of minority community for acquiring technical education.

The meeting also elicited comprehensive information regarding pre-matric, post matric and merit cum means scholarship, the principal secretary said.

It also took stock of constitution of programme committee for 15-point programme, minority development corporation and Wakf properties.

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Kanimozhi, D Raja elected to Rajya Sabha

CHENNAI: DMK'sKanimozhi, CPI's D Raja and four AIADMK candidates were on Thursday declared elected to the RajyaSabha from Tamil Nadu.

The four victorious AIADMK candidates are KR Arjunan, R. Lakshmanan, V Maitreyan and T Rathnavelu.

Maitreyan, Raja and Kanimozhi were re-contesting their seats.

DMDK's AR Elangovan lost the election, with just 22 votes as against the 34 needed to be elected. While the party has 29 legislators, seven had turned rebel and did not vote for the party nominee.

While Raja of the Communist Party of India was supported by the ruling AIAMDK and the Communist Party of India-Marxist, the DMK, which had 23 legislators, was supported by Congress (5 legislators), and the Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK) and Puthiya Tamizhagam (PT) having two legislators each.

The poll saw 231 members of the 235-member assembly voting with PMK, having three legislators, boycotting the elections. One vote was declared as invalid.

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LS polls: BSP announces three candidates from Haryana

AMBALA: Ruling out any tie-up in Haryana in the upcoming general elections, BSP today announced the names of its three candidates from the state.

BSP vice-president Raja Ram while addressing a party rally at Ambala City said, Kapoor Singh would contest the polls from Ambala while Zakir Hussain would be the party's candidate from Gurgaon and Rajinder Singh would contest the next Lok Sabha elections from Faridabad.

Haryana has 10 Lok Sabha seats and the party would announce more names in the coming months, he said, stressing that BSP would also contest all 90 Assembly seats on its own and would not enter into an alliance with any party.

BSP's lone MLA in Haryana and Deputy Speaker Akram Khan called on workers to strengthen the party.

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Akalis forcing villagers to take 'loyalty pledge': Congress

CHANDIGARH: Opposition Congress on Thursday alleged that ruling SAD was forcing voters to take " loyalty pledge" in Sikh shrines to support particular contestants ahead of the next month's panchayat elections in Punjab.

A party delegation, led by former MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira, submitted a memorandum to state election commissioner S S Brar for taking action in this regard.

Khaira alleged that Shiromani Akali Dal was doing this ahead of July three panchayat polls at the behest of former minister Sucha Singh Langhah.

He demanded that a case be lodged against Langhah under relevant sections of the Punjab State Election Commission Act, 1994 for indulging in corrupt practice and violation of model code of conduct.

Villagers affiliated to SAD are pledging loyalty to the party in writing in the gurdwaras, he alleged.

Besides, SAD leaders are giving messages of higher grants to their panchayats which amounts to bribing the voter through money, he said.

Meanwhile, the ruling party described the allegation as an indication of the Congress's "intellectual bankruptcy".

The SAD said the model code of conduct for the panchayat elections was enforced from June 19. "So where is the illegality in signing such a pledge on June 18 when no code of conduct was in force?" SAD general secretary D S Cheema asked.

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Support to DMK limited: Congress

NEW DELHI: The Congress said on Wednesday that its support to DMK's Kanimozhi for the June 27 Rajya Sabha election was limited to a single event.

"This coalition is limited to this event," Congress spokesperson Sandeep Dikshit told reporters after the party decided that its five legislators in Tamil Nadu will support the daughter of DMK chief M Karunanidhi.

The DMK left the Congress-led UPA in March over the Sri Lanka issue.

Asked why the Congress was supporting Kanimozhi, who was jailed in the 2G spectrum allocation case, Dikshit said the decision was to support a party and not an individual.

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No final decision yet on visa bond for Indians: UK

NEW DELHI: The UK on Wednesday said no final decision has been taken on the new cash bond of Rs 2.75 lakh for obtaining British visa, which they intend to run as a pilot scheme, a day after India voiced its strong protests over the proposed move.

Noting that UK wants the "brightest and the best" to help create the jobs and growth, Marcus Winsley, director of press and communications in the British High Commission here, said, the government remains committed to tackling immigration abuse and was looking at a range of options.

"One of those options is a financial bond. The government intends to run a pilot scheme for such bonds, tightly targeted at a small number of visa applicants assessed to pose a high risk of overstaying.

"But no decisions have been taken on the detail of how such a pilot scheme would work in practice. Any such scheme will be designed in a way that does not cut across the UK's wish to be open for business, students and tourists," he said.

He also said, "senior UK and Indian officials are scheduled to meet in London in late-July for a comprehensive dialogue on visa related issues. Financial bonds are expected to be on the agenda."

According to a 'Sunday Times' report earlier this week, the British government is planning to pilot a scheme from November targeted at visitors from at least six countries, including India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Ghana.

Tourists aged 18 and over would be forced to hand over 3,000 pounds for a six-month visit visa, which they will forfeit if they overstay in Britain, according to the report.

Reiterating the promise made by British Prime Minister David Cameron during his last visit to India in February on relaxed visa regime, Winsley said, "The British Prime Minister's message is loud and clear. The UK wants the brightest and the best to help create the jobs and growth that will enable Britain to compete in the global race.

"So, for example, if you are an overseas businessperson seeking to invest and trade with world class businesses, one of the thousands of legitimate students keen to study at our first-class universities or a tourist visiting our world class attractions, be in no doubt: Britain is open for business."

Expressing serious concerns over the Britain's decision to run such a pilot scheme, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma had strongly raised the issue in his meetings in London with Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Oliver Letwin, Minister for Government policy in Cabinet office and Gregory Barker, minister in charge for business engagement with India.

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NHRC asks government to explain shortage of TB drugs

NEW DELHI: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Wednesday issued notice to all health secretaries demanding an explanation on the shortage of medicine for tuberculosis (TB).

Last week, the media reported that drugs for treating TB, particularly children, were in short supply across the country.

The NHRC said in a statement that following the media reports, it had "issued notices to the secretary, Union ministry of health and family welfare and health secretaries of all state governments/union territories. They have been given two weeks' time to respond".

The commission has directed the Union health secretary to inform the status of availability of TB drugs in all the states as well as steps taken by the centre to overcome the acute shortage of TB drugs in two categories, paediatrics and drug registrant TB.

Media reports blamed the shortage on dither and delay in the government machinery that procures TB drugs centrally and distributes them across the country.

"It is reported that under the TB treatment programme, the centre is responsible for buying drugs and distributing them to the states, which then provide treatment. The stock-out is a result of never-ending issues that plague drug procurement... unless the government intervenes immediately, such shortage could prove disastrous," the NHRC said.

However, Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad denied the shortage and said fresh stocks would arrive by July-end.

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Ishrat Jahan case: CBI intensifies efforts to arrest Gujarat IPS officer

NEW DELHI: CBI has intensified its efforts to arrest former ADG of Gujarat PP Pandey as it is finalizing the charge sheet in the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case which is likely to be filed in a special court in Ahmedabad before July 4.

CBI sources said the agency is trying to locate Pandey who has been declared an absconder by the court on its request and is believed to be hiding.

The sources said CBI is trying to question him before filing the charge sheet to elaborate his alleged role in the encounter.

The agency has formed a special team to track Pandey and arrest him to be questioned in this regard, they said.

The FIR, filed by CBI in the case, alleged that Pandey provided "so-called crucial intelligence inputs" to fellow officers which said that Ishrat, a college student, and three others were LeT operatives and were on a mission to assassinate Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi.

Pandey, as the Joint Commissioner of Police, Ahmedabad, was heading the crime branch when Ishrat, Javed Shaikh alias Pranesh Pillai, Amjadali Akbarali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were killed in an encounter allegedly with Gujarat Police on the city outskirts on June 15, 2004.

He had denied the allegations against him and moved to Gujarat high court seeking quashing of the FIR against him.

Pruthvi Pal Pandey, a 1982-batch IPS officer, who was declared an absconder by the CBI court here on June 21, has claimed in his petition that he had merely passed on the intelligence input that Rana, Shaikh and Johar were terrorists and were planning to enter the city to kill Modi.

The high court last Friday had adjourned the hearing on a petition filed by Pandey seeking quashing of an FIR against him by CBI in the case till June 28.

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BJP to prepare 'vision document' for minority empowerment

NEW DELHI: Apprehensive of polarisation of votes due to projection of Narendra Modi as the head of its election campaign committee, BJP has decided to come out with a "vision document" for minority empowerment to reach out to these communities ahead of the next general elections.

BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who is involved in the process of preparing the vision document along with party leader Shahnawaz Hussain and others, maintains this is not an attempt to appease the minorities but to highlight how they are actually being "exploited" by political parties.

"Our party wants the empowerment of minorities without any appeasement of these communities. This means their social, economic and educational growth," Naqvi said.

The main opposition, however, dismisses that this proposal to make a vision document has been mooted to counter the loss BJP may suffer due to Modi's elevation as the party's election campaign committee chief.

"The minorities have been empowered in a big way in Gujarat where more than 250 Muslims have been elected (on BJP tickets) to various posts in recent elections. Similarly, a sizable chunk of BJP MLAs in Goa belong to the minority community," Naqvi said.

The vision document will deal with the need for increasing minority participation in politics, more jobs for these communities and improving their safety and security.

Justifying the need for such a document, Naqvi said, "We do not wish to lose the support of the minorities because of the false propaganda about BJP by our political opponents. We want to go beyond talking about stereotypes like Wakf, Urdu and Haj for the minorities. These are important but there is more to be done," Naqvi said.

The party is also likely to target Congress and other political opponents on the issue of minority welfare.

"Thousands of communal riots have taken place in Congress-ruled states since 1960s and '70s but not even an FIR was lodged. Moreover, Muslims are arrested from states like Maharashtra, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and then declared innocent. This is done for political exploitation," Naqvi alleged.

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Ties with RJD or JD(U) to be decided by Antony committee: Ahmad

PATNA: AICC general secretary Shakeel Ahmad on Saturday said any decision on forging ties either with RJD or JD(U) for the 2014 general elections would be taken up by a committee led by senior leader and Union minister A K Antony.

"It will be decided by a party committee headed by defence minister A K Antony at an appropriate time," Ahmad told reporters when asked of a future tie up with RJD or JD(U) in the next Lok Sabha elections.

Views of the new Congress incharge of Bihar C P Joshi would also be taken, he said.

Congress had voted for Nitish Kumar in the confidence motion for defeating communal forces, Ahmad said.

Dismissing the claims of development by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, he said "the state ranks lower on all major indices of development which falsify the claims of development there."

"In per capita income, Gujarat ranks 10th among the states, in infrastructure 11th and in education the state figures at 14th place in the country," he said.

"The truth is that people do not want to marry their daughter in Saurashtra region of Gujarat as citizens have to walk 5 km to fetch water," he said.

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Kenya seeks Food and Drug Control Administration's e-governance programme

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat government's e-governance initiative has generated interest from Kenya's drug regulators. Impressed by the systematic performance of Xtended Licensing and Laboratory Note (XLN), developed and adopted by Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA), Kenya is likely to introduce a similar model in the African country.

A delegation led by Dr Ahmed Mohamed, director of inspection and surveillance team from the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) had visited Gujarat FDCA earlier this month. The self-licensing software has enabled the FDCA to regulate the sales and manufacturing aspects related to drugs, food and cosmetics, issuance of licenses, among other things. The software enables online registration of all the pharmacists and chemists, preventing multiple illegal enrollment of pharmacists to ensure public safety.

Dr H G Koshia, commissioner, Gujarat FDCA, said, "Kenya's officials were impressed with the e-governance programme and have conveyed that they plan to come back for training related to the software, once discussions and necessary permissions are through from the Kenyan government."

In order to wipe out counterfeit drugs from the country, PPB recently launched a digital reporting system that enables medicine users to report a product's efficacy and its adverse reaction to the regulator.

Drug regulators from six Indian states including Himachal Pradesh and West Bengal have approached the state drug regulator for ensuring best regulatory practices in their state while six other state governments have already implemented the programme in their states. UK's medical regulatory mechanism— Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, has also expressed interest in learning about the programme while many African countries have also shown interest in the model in the past.

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Uttarakhand floods: 13 bodies recovered in UP rivers

LUCKNOW: As many as 13 unidentified dead bodies were found floating in rivers in different parts of the state during the past 24 hours. All the rivers originate in Uttarakhand. A few come to Uttar Pradesh (UP) via Nepal. Authorities suspected that some of the highly decomposed bodies are of those who were washed away in massive floods in Uttarakhand . Bodies have been sent for post mortem. Their DNA samples will be collected before cremation for identification at later stage.

While two bodies each were recovered from Ganga and Khoh rivers flowing in Nagla and Najibabad areas respectively in Bijor district. Three bodies, including one of a women, were found in Kali Nadi river Narauna area of Bulandshahr district. Three bodies were recovered from Sharda river in Pilibhit. Similarly, three bodies, including one of women, were found floating in Sharda river in Lakhimpur district. According to police, barring three bodies recovered in Lakhimpur Kheri, the rest 10 might be of those drowned upstream in Uttarakhand and bodies came floating down the river to UP.

Officers said that possibility of 10 bodies floating down to UP from Uttarakhand is higher because they are in highly decomposed condition. Also, they pointed out, in a similar manner, 40 bodies were recovered from Ganga river in Haridwar, Uttarakhand on Friday. These 40 bodies were of the people who were washed away in the upper reaches, they claimed. However, the three bodies found in Lakhimpur are not as decomposed as the 10 found in other places. "We think the three bodies could be of those who drowned in Lakhimpur Kheri," officials said.

If three bodies found in Lakhmipur Kheri are included, the total death toll due to floods and rain related incidents in the past seven days in UP climbs up to 44. Both the Uttarakhand and UP are reeling under floods since June 16. As many as 23 districts in UP are facing floods. Most rivers are flooded because of heavy rains in the upper reaches in neighbouring Uttarakhand and Nepal. The condition is bad in 15 districts. The floods have affected over five lakh population in around 600 villages in the state. According to control room at the UP police head quarters in Lucknow, rescue teams of provincial arms constabulary has shifted over 30,000 people to safe places.

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Siddaramaiah directs police to step up efforts to arrest the Manipal rape culprits

BANGALORE: Following abduction and sexually assault of an MBBS student in Manipal on Thursday night, chief minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said the government has taken the incident "very seriously" and has directed home minister K J George to visit the spot.

"This government gives highest priority to safety of women. Home minister will visit the spot on Sunday. The government will not tolerate and spare anyone in this regard. Police should step up to arrest the miscreants," Siddaramaiah told reporters.

Three miscreants allegedly abducted and sexually assaulted an MBBS student. Police said the victim is from Thiruvananthapuram and a student of Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, 60km from Mangalore.

According to police, the group of three men dragged the student into an autorickshaw near the pharmacology campus and drove her off. She was on her way to her hostel room, just a kilometre from the library complex, when she was abducted.

Udupi SP MB Boralingaiah called it a gang rape and said police have launched a hunt for the culprits.

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Uttarakhand: Congress dismisses queries on Rahul Gandhi's absence

NEW DELHI: Congress on Saturday sought to dismiss questions about Rahul Gandhi's absence from the country as well as his silence at a time when heavy rains have wrecked havoc in Uttarakhand.

"Some political parties are raising this question. In our party, there is a fixed responsibility on each office bearer...

"The in-charges of states look after the regions under their charge. The Congress president is herself monitoring the entire relief work in Uttarakhand, and no one should take pains to ask who is doing what," party spokesman Raj Babbar said.

He said this in response to questions on where was Rahul at the time of calamity and why the Congress vice-president has not even issued a statement.

On Narendra Modi's visit to flood-hit Uttarakhand, Babbar said the Congress chief ministers were in the vanguard for the relief and rescue effort, and the Haryana chief minister has sent three rescue teams.

To questions about declaring the tragedy as a national calamity, he said the party and the government have been seriously involved in the relief work and everything would be done as per the yardsticks.

Asked if growing closeness between Congress and Nitish Kumar means the state getting special category status, the Congress leader said there was no political consideration in providing central assistance.

"The UPA government in fact provided Rs 59,000 crore to Gujarat for annual plan while they had asked for Rs 58,500 crore," Ahmad said.

In reply to a question on why the devastation in Uttarakhand was not declared a national calamity, Ahmad said "these are technical issue decided by the Centre together with the respective state."

He, however, said the UPA government was trying to provide all assistance to fight the natural calamity in the Himalayan state.

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Afghan reconciliation process should not confer legitimacy to insurgent groups: India

NEW DELHI: Throwing its weight behind Afghanistan on the issue of Taliban opening a political office in Doha, India on Friday said reconciliation process should not undermine legitimate Afghan government or confer legitimacy to insurgent groups.

"The reconciliation process should not seek to create equivalence between an internationally recognised Afghan government and insurgent groups, confer legitimacy to insurgent groups or convey the impression of two competing state authorities for Afghanistan," external affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said.

He said this "could undermine the legitimate Afghan state, Afghan government and the political, social and economic progress witnessed in Afghanistan over the past decade, to which the international community itself has contributed in great measure".

His remarks came at a time when Afghan President Hamid Karzai cancelled a proposed security dialogue with US, upset over the name of the Taliban office among others.

When the Qatar office opened on Tuesday, it used the title of the rebels' 1996-2001 government, the "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" and flew the white Taliban flag.

Akbaruddin said India has followed developments relating to the opening of an office of the Taliban in Qatar and statements made by the representatives of that office and others.

"These statements reflect some confusion about the name of the Qatar office, its structure, its political and legal status, and its objectives," he said, adding the reaction of the Afghan government to these developments were also noted.

"Our position is clear. Government of India has always called for a broad-based Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan- controlled reconciliation process, within the framework of the Afghan Constitution and the internationally accepted red lines," he said.

The spokesperson underlined that such a process would necessarily recognise the centrality of the Government of Afghanistan in the process, and involve all sections of the Afghan society, as also the insurgent groups, including the Taliban, who wish to join the mainstream.

He said India remains committed to supporting the Afghan government and the people of Afghanistan, in accordance with the India-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Agreement, and a reconciliation process that has the support of the government and the people of Afghanistan.

India has cautioned Afghanistan over peace talks with the Taliban, saying the new initiative should not violate the "red lines" drawn up by the international community.

"We have from time to time reminded all stakeholders about the red lines that was drawn by the world community and certainly by the participants should not be touched, should not be erased and should not be violated," External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid had told reporters on Thursday in Baghdad.

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US offers help in north India flooding

WASHINGTON: The United States on Friday said it is ready to assist India in dealing with the aftermath of massive flooding in north Indian states.

Expressing condolences over the tragic death of people due to floods in Uttarakhand and other states, a senior state department official said that the US government is ready to help India if requested.

"The United States, of course, stands ready to help in any way that we can, if the government of India thinks that would be useful. And our authorities are in close touch now with the appropriate Indian authorities," the official, travelling with the Secretary of State John Kerry to India, told reporters.

"The United States extends its condolences to the people and to the government of India for the terrible loss of life that has occurred as a result of the floods in northern India", he added.

Over 200 people have been killed and thousands remain stranded in Uttarakhand and parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh states due to massive flooding caused by incessant rainfall.

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Rain claims 28 lives in UP, 600 villages affected

LUCKNOW: At least 28 people have so far lost their lives in rain-related incidents in Uttar Pradesh whereas a population of 5 lakh in some 600 villages of the state has been affected because of it.

A maximum of 15 people have lost their lives in Saharanpur, 5 in Sitapur, 3 each in Lakhimpur and Muzaffarnagar and one each in Balrampur and Bahraich.

According to relief commissioner's office statement here, following incessant rains and release of water in the barrages, large areas of Lakhimpur Kheri, Bahraich, Muzaffarngar, Bijnore, Amroha, Pilibhit, Sitapur, Meerut, Balrampur, Shamli, Saharanpur, Aligarh, Shahjahanpur and Rampur have been affected.

Lakhimpur Kheri is the worst hit where a population of over one lakh belonging to 127 villages has been affected.

Meanwhile, 95 villages in Muzaffarnagar, 52 in Bijnore, 63 in Amroha, 71 in Meerut, 37 in Pilibhit, 17 in Sitapur, 66 in Bahraich, 12 in Shamli, 5 in Aligarh and 50 in Saharanpur have been affected by flood waters which have also submerged thousands of hectares of agricultural land.

Huge number of Army personnel and PAC has been pressed into service for relief and rescue operations in the affected areas and thousands have been shifted to safer places.

After release of 6 lakh cusec water at Narora on Thursday, Bulandshahr, Farrukhabad, Kannauj, Kanpur, Rae Bareli, Allahabad, Mirzapur, Varanasi, Ghazipur and Ballia on the banks of Ganga have been affected.

Besides this, cities like Muzaffarnagar, Bagpat, Shamli, Mathura, Agra, Etawah, Auraiya, Jalaun, Hamirpur and Allahabad on the banks of Yamuma have been affected due to release of 8 lakhs cusec water in Hathnikund barrage on June 17 , the statement said.

According to Met office forecast, weather had been mainly dry over the state and is expected to remain dry in the next 24 hours.

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Army restores road link from Sonprayag to Gaurikund

LUCKNOW: The Army on Friday has been able to open the important road link from Sonprayag to Gauri Kund, which is the base camp for trek to Kedarnath. Approximately 1,000 persons stranded at Gauri Kund are being evacuated along the newly opened road to Sonprayag and Tehri. Army paratroopers with specialised mountaineering equipment reached out to people stuck in various gorges, ravines and nullahs between Gauri Kund and Ram Bara this morning.

As many as 70 men are now carrying out search operations in Ram Bara, which was washed away by floods. Army Aviation pilots managed to land a special force at Jungle Chatti near Ram Bara and rescued 16 persons from the river bed.

In the Joshimath sector, the Army constructed a temporary bridge across Alaknanda river near Govind Ghat to facilitate stranded Hemkund Sahib pilgrims to cross over. Similarly two landslides between Govind Ghat and Gagariya have been cleared paving way for pilgrims to move by foot. In the process, nearly 500 persons have been evacuated so far. Army teams reached Badrinath and Ghagriya on Friday and 91 pilgrims were evacuated by Army helicopters, and 322 persons were air lifted from Ghagriya.

Army Aviation helicopters so far flew 104 sorties with 12 aircraft evacuating 523 persons and delivering 13,000 kilogram of food, fuel and medicines. In Pithoragarh district, eight stranded civilians were evacuated by Army helicopter from Milam on Friday. A medical camp was established at Tijam providing medical aid to people affected by floods. As many as 65 patients were treated by Army Medical team at Gothi in Pithoragarh district. Nearly 160 civilians evacuated from inundated areas and moved to upper reaches and were given first air, food and shelter.
Late on Thursday night, Army teams reached Gangotri for the first time since the floods. Approximately 500 persons in Gangotri are now in the process of being evacuated to Harsil. Army camp at Harsil provided shelter, food and medical aid to more than 1500 persons.

Some of them have since been evacuated by helicopters from Harsil. Army has also airlifted 3.6 tonnes of food to Harsil. It has now opened the road Rishikesh — Gangotri upto Uttarkashi. The road between Uttarkashi to Harsil is still not open to traffic due to land slides at number of places. This 74-kilometre stretch is the focus of Army's attention during second phase of Surya Hope commencing tomorrow. Army team has landed 12 kilometres inside Pindari glacier in Bageshwar district of Kumaon region of Uttarakhand to link up and evacuate 50 persons stranded on the glacier.

Four flood relief columns of Army are assisting civil administration in evacuating people from flood affected areas of Pilibhit, Laksar, Mawana and parts of East Delhi. As many as 1,354 persons have so far been evacuated from Pilibhit alone. Army, as of date, has deployed approximately 10,000 of its personnel to carry out rescue, relief and humanitarian assistance operations in Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Bageshwar and Pithoragarh districts of Uttarakhand and seven districts of UP comprising Saharanpur, Bijnor, Haridwar, Pilibhit, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar and Amroha.

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Tihar inmates give financial help to Uttarakhand flood victims

NEW DELHI: A section of prisoners along with Tihar jail staff will donate around Rs 13 lakh for the victims of flood-ravaged Uttarakhand.

Tihar law officer Sunil Gupta said a significant number of prisoners were very "concerned" over the natural calamity in Uttarakhand and have already collected around Rs 5 lakh for the victims of the devastation.

"The staff of Tihar has decided to contribute one day's salary for the victims which will be around Rs 7 to 8 lakhs. The prisoners will contribute around Rs 5 lakh," he said.

Gupta said a total amount of around Rs 13 lakh will be handed over to chief minister Sheila Dikshit, which will be deposited in the Prime Minister's relief fund for helping the flood victims.

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Rajya Sabha polls: Kanimozhi, Elangovan to fight it out for sixth seat

CHENNAI: Ruling AIADMK's arch rival DMK and main opposition party in the state Assembly DMDK are finally set to fight it out to bag the sixth seat in the June 27 biennial elections for the Rajya Sabha from Tamil Nadu.

On the last day for withdrawal of nominations, seven candidates -- AIADMK's K R Arjunan, V Maithreyan, T Rathnavel, R Lakshmanan, CPI's D Raja, DMK's Kanimozhi and DMDK's A R Elangovan -- remained in the fray after Thangamuthu (AIADMK) withdrew from the contest in favour of the CPI nominee. With the winning chances for AIADMK's four candidates being virtually confirmed, given the number of MLAs (151) the ruling party has in the Assembly, party chief Jayalalithaa's decision to back CPI's Raja gave him an edge over others for the fifth seat. CPI(M) and All India Forward Bloc have declared their support to Raja.

DMK's sitting MP Kanimozhi, bidding for a second term and DMDK's Elangovan, who is aspiring to make his debut to the Upper House, are locked in a fierce battle of the ballot for the sixth seat. DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi has been working to ensure his daughter's victory by seeking support of other parties, especially from Congress, which has five members in the Assembly.

DMK has succeeded in getting support of Manidhaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK) and Pudhiya Thamizhagam (PT), which have two MLAs each in the Assembly, whereas DMDK has received any word of assurance from any party. Interestingly, DMDK has also sought the support of Congress, which has not declared its stand so far. The three member PMK would announce its decision after its executive council meeting tomorrow.

Following is the party position in the assembly: AIADMK 151, DMDK 29, DMK 23, CPM 10, CPI 8, CONG 5, PMK 3, MMK 2, Puthiya Thamilagam 2, All India Forward Bloc 1.

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Thousands still stranded in Uttarakhand, rescue operations on

DEHRADUN: Rescue and relief operations were intensified on a massive scale on Thursday in flood-ravaged Uttarakhand as multiple agencies evacuated the worst-affected Kedarnath town and other areas even as the death toll is feared to be in several hundreds.

50,000 people were still said to be stranded in various parts of the state that was hit by cloudburst and floods in the upper reaches that left several hundreds of homes, rest houses and buildings in ruins and thousands of people missing.

The official death toll still stood at 150 but chief minister Vijay Bahuguna said the casualties could run into several hundreds which will be known only when areas become accessible and water recedes.

The state government's disaster mitigation and management centre had in the morning said that the causalities could run into thousands with about 90 dharamshalas (resthouses for pilgrims) swept away in the flash floods.

In the wake of poor connectivity and communication, relatives of several pilgrims who came from outside the state were struggling to find the whereabouts of their dear ones.

The upper reaches of the state lay mute witness to the death and devastation caused by nature's fury due to Saturday's cloudburst and landslides and a complete estimate of which was still not available.

Uttarakhand principal secretary (home) Om Prakash told reporters here that 1,000 people have been evacuated from different places. There are still around 200 people in and around Kedarnath valley and tomorrow their evacuation will be done.

TBP chief Ajay Chadha, whose 1,000 men are involved in relief work in Uttarakhand, told reporters in Delhi that the worst affected Kedarnath temple area has been evacuated of people and there could still be about 400-500 people in the upper reaches.

He said Army will launch operations tomorrow to bring these people down. The Rambada area around the famous Kedarnath temple was still in slush and debris and there could bodies submerged in it, he said.

Chadha also said they were not in a position to give the complete death toll in the disaster unless bodies are recovered. There could be a lot of people who could have been washed away but in such situations eyewitness accounts could sometimes be exaggerated, Chadha said.

22 helicopters have been deployed to rescue and evacuate over 22,000 stranded people to safer locations through hundreds of sorties. Food, medicines and other essentials were also carried to the needy by the defence forces.

The ITBP DG, who is also in-charge of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), said 17 bodies were recovered by the troops of the specialised force from the Kedarnath area. The state government has been informed.

Gaurikund, the base camp for those going to Kedarnath temple, also witnessed rescue of 250 people today by small helicopters.

ITBP chief Chadha said a number of tracks are being opened up and he hoped that the Joshimath axis would be open for access by foot by tomorrow.

He also said the Badrinath area is "not as critical" as other areas and the situation was more or less similar in Yamunotri and Gangotri.

The DG said a number of people who were rescued were "traumatised" by the nature's fury as he said that fear of disease outbreak could not be ruled out.

Uttarakhand chief minister Vijay Bahuguna termed the calamity as unprecedented adding that the casualties caused by the tragedy would run into several hundreds. "The tragedy is huge and damage tremendous with vast tracts of land still submerged under tonnes of debris. The causalities must run into several hundreds," Bahuguna told reporters at the secretariat here.

Principal secretary Rakesh Sharma said 11,000 people stranded in Gangotri and Yamunotri routes in Uttarkashi district were evacuated through air and road routes. "Our focus right now is to vacate Kedarnath valley completely where 250 people are still stranded. Once we are through with this process we will move on to Badrinath where 9,000 people are stuck," Sharma said.

When asked exactly how many people had been killed in the calamity, Sharma said it was difficult to arrive at a number but the figures can be "shockingly huge".

Apart from the people rescued from Gangotri and Yamunotri, six foreign tourists have been evacuated from Harshil in Uttarkashi district and seven more from Milam and Burfu in Pithoragarh district. Sharma said about 1,500 yatris are stuck in Harshil who are being evacuated from helicopters. 516 people were also evacuated to Joshimath from Ghangharia, Pandukeshwar, Badrinath, Govindghat and Dudhar, he said. The official said efforts are on to make temporary helipads in the affected areas so that big MI-17 helicopters could be landed there to speed up the evacuation process.

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BJP says no to Yeddyurappa's comeback plan

BANGALORE: A day after Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) expressed that it was ready to align with the BJP, the latter has rejected the offer saying the party don't need any friends in Karnataka.

KJP leader and former Union minister V Dhananjay Kumar on Wednesday had maintained that KJP was not averse to align with BJP to face coming Lok Sabha polls, scheduled next year.

BJP general secretary Raghunath Rao Malkapure said the party has not given a thought about aligning with anyone in the state. "The BJP never discussed this issue before or after Dhananjay Kumar made statement," he said on Thursday.

Malkapure said the party has issued gag order to it's cadre from issuing statement urging party leadership to take back former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa back to party fold. According to him, state unit president Prahlad Joshi has categorically told second line leaders not to issue any statement regarding re-entry of Yeddyurappa. "Disciplinary actions will be taken against those leaders who make statement on this," Malkapure said.

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Hazare warns of fast in Delhi from Oct 2 over Lokpal

MUMBAI: Veteran social activist Anna Hazare today accused the UPA government of stabbing in his back on the issue of Lokpal Bill and once again threatened hunger strike from October 2 to press for a strong anti- corruption law.

Expressing disappointment over the Centre's failure to secure the passage of the " Jan Lokpal Bill" in Parliament, the 75-year-old activist said the Government has "stabbed him in his back" over the issue, on which he has undertaken multiple fasts in Delhi and Mumbai since 2011.

"I will once again sit on a fast from October 2 at the Ramlila Ground in Delhi," the anti-corruption crusader told reporters on the sidelines of a programme here.

In the past, Hazare has repeatedly assailed the Congress-led Government over its failure to pass a strong Lokpal Bill as promised in 2011.

A few weeks ago, he shot off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressing his disappointment over the Government's inability to enact a strong legislation to check graft in public institutions.

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Karnataka donates Rs 5 crore to flood-hit Uttarakhand

BANGALORE: Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday announced a contribution of Rs five crore to the Uttarakhand government to provide relief to the flood affected victims in the state.

"It is our duty to help the pilgrims and people of Uttarakhand on humanitarian basis and hence my government has decided to donate Rs five crore..." Siddaramaiah said.

Siddaramaiah, in a statement here, also said the government would spend Rs 50 lakh to bring back the stranded pilgrims belonging to the state from Uttarakhand.

He said as many as 1,200 pilgrims out of 67,000 stranded in Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamonotri are natives of Karnataka. "We are making all efforts to bring them back to safety," he added.

Siddaramaiah said the government has opened a relief centre at Rishikesh and affected people have been provided free food, medicines and water. "Staying facilities also have been set up in the camp," he added.

The state has also dispatched a team of doctors to attend to the medical needs of the affected people, he said.

The government would shift the affected pilgrims from Rishikesh relief camp to Delhi, from where they would be transported free of cost to Bangalore, Siddaramaiah said.

Karnataka Infrastructure Minister Santosh Lad has also been sent to overlook relief work being carried out to save pilgrims from the state, Siddaramaiah said.

The government has also opened a calamity management centre at Dehra Dun, he added.

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Don't create controversy over every act of Mamata: Governor

KOLKATA: Two days after West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's visit to Kamduni village where she shouted at anti-rape protesters, governor MK Narayanan on Wednesday urged media not to create controversy over every act of the Trinamool Congress supremo.

"Don't dissect whatever she does. Don't create unnecessary controversy," Narayanan told media persons on the sidelines of a programme to queries on the turn of events marking Banerjee's brief visit to the house of a gangrape-murder victim on Monday.

Banerjee had gone unannounced to the North 24 Parganas district village, the residence of the second-year college student abducted, gang-raped and killed by a group of youths June 7 when she was returning home after appearing in an examination.

However, the visit turned sour after a group of women asked her to talk to them and shouted slogans about the lack of security. The chief minister lost her cool and screamed at the villagers to "shut up". She also branded the perpetrators of the crime as well as the protesters as "CPM people".

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Digvijaya's son joins Congress party

BHOPAL: AICC general secretary and former chief minister Digvijaya Singh's son officially joined the Congress party on Wednesday. The senior Congress leader's 28-year-old son Jaivardhan Singh joined the primary membership of the party in Raghogarh. Both Digvijaya and his brother Laxman Singh took turns and represented this assembly constituency in the 1990s and till 2008.

Sources in the party said that Digvijaya Singh and Laxman Singh now want to hand-over the assembly contest to Jaivardhan Singh.

Digvijaya Singh and Jaivardhan participated in the Raghogarh block Congress committee meeting on Wednesday. At the meeting, it was decided that Jaivardhan Singh will contest for assembly elections in November from the Raghogarh seat which his father represented as chief minister of Madhya Pradesh. A proposal to this effect was prepared and will be sent to 24, Akbar Road for the approval of the party high-command.

During the Raghogarh block Congress committee meeting, Jaivardhan officially joined the primary membership of the party.

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Goods worth over Rs 40 lakh traded across LoC

POONCH (J&K): Goods worth over Rs 40 lakh were traded across the Line of Control today between Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and Jammu and Kashmir at Chakan-Da-Bagh crossing point here, officials said.

Only one truck rolled out from the Trade Facilitation Centre (TFC) here to PoK, officials said, adding, it carried bags of bananas and onions worth Rs 5,24,480.

From PoK, six trucks carrying bags of dry dates, herbs and almonds worth Rs 38,27,720 entered India, officials said.

Officials from both sides monitored transportation of these goods twice during the day.

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IMA slams Shah Rukh Khan over surrogacy reports

NEW DELHI: The Indian Medical Association (INA) on Wednesday slammed Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan over reports that he and his wife were planning to have a baby boy through surrogacy.

"IMA strongly opposes any attempt or activity for pre-natal determination of sex of fetus," the association said.

"We strongly feel that public figures like Shah Rukh Khan, who are role models for the youth, should set a precedent by their good acts and refrain from such illegal activities," it said.

"A proper investigation should be done in this regard. Suitable legal action should be initiated not only on the guilty medical professional, but also the public who approach the doctor for carrying out such a determination," they said.

According to reports, Khan and his wife, who already have a son and daughter, were planning to have a baby boy through surrogacy.

Pre-natal sex determination is illegal in India. A provision for legal action and penalties exist in the PC-PNDT act both for the medical professional involved and public who request such an action.

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'Tainted' Manmohan must go: BJP

NEW DELHI: With CBI questioning two former PMO officials in the coal scam, BJP on Wednesday demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying he is "tainted" and should step down to ensure fair probe.

"A tainted Prime Minister has to step down so that there can be a fair investigation into the criminal offence conducted by his office. A person who is tainted cannot be heading the very organization which is investigating his office," BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi said here.

Questioning the Coal scam probe carried out by CBI which was working directly under the PMO, she said, "What kind of fair investigation we are expecting from officers who are reporting to PM directly? And they are supposed to investigate the role of the PMO and the Prime Minister who was the then coal minister."

Lekhi said it will be in the country's interest that truth on this matter must come out expeditiously. "It is to be investigated whether PM acted of his own or was part of a larger conspiracy and was only complying with his role."

She alleged that CBI is being "misused and manipulated" in both coal and Ishrat Jahan cases.

No mandatory procedure was followed either in selecting the companies or in refusing the allocations, she claimed. "That is the strangest form of allocations we have seen."

"Only after the interrogation of the tainted PM the details of the conspiracy will be unravelled," she said.

The coal block allocation scam is India's "hall of shame" and has exposed the UPA government's "corrupt" empire headed by (PM) Manmohan Singh, the BJP spokesperson said.

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Monsoon fury: Toll rises to 81; Kedarnath temple in mud

DEHRADUN/SHIMLA: Monsoon rain and unprecedented flash floods continued to spell death and destruction in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, claiming over 80 lives and leaving over 70,000 pilgrims for Himalayan shrines stranded.

The famous hill shrine of Kedarnath in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand bore the brunt of torrential rain and was covered in mud and slush. About 500 people, including several pilgrims, are said to missing in the area, according to top government sources.

The death toll may rise significantly once water recedes and relief teams are able to access the affected areas.

A portion of the Kedarnath temple compound was washed away but authorities said no damages were reported to the structure itself.

The Ram Bada area, a busy spot near the temple, has been completely submerged and was not visible from rescue choppers.

Army Central command officials said that nearly 6,000 to 8,000 people are stranded in Kedarnath, 2,500 in Hemkund Sahib and around 8,000 in Badrinath.

Flash floods, cloudbursts and landslips have so far claimed 81 lives in northern India. Thousands have been displaced in Uttar Pradesh where several rivers are in spate.

The death toll in Uttarakhand has reached 52. Rudraprayag district was the worst hit with 20 people dead and 73 buildings, including 40 hotels, along the banks of the Alaknanda swept away in the swirling waters of the river.

A total of 71,440 pilgrims bound for the Himalayan shrines of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri are stranded in Rudraprayag, Chamoli and Uttarkashi districts of Uttarakhand with the famous char dham yatra having been suspended due to massive landslides and damage to the road network.

While 27,040 tourists are stranded in Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi have 25,000 and 9,850 pilgrims from various parts of the country stranded, Disaster Management authorities said.

Meanwhile, with a slight let up in the rain today, rescue efforts are being intensified in the affected areas.

More than a dozen helicopters have been deployed in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh for relief and rescue operations with officials saying that all the stranded people are expected to be evacuated soon.

Union home secretary R K Singh said food, medicines and blankets were air-dropped in remote areas of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. Home minister Sushilkumar Shinde, too, talked to the chief ministers of the two states.

"We have provided seven helicopters to Uttarakhand. The state government has also hired four private helicopters. We are providing helicopters to Himachal Pradesh. Hopefully, all stranded people will be evacuated today," Singh said in New Delhi.

Himachal chief minister Virbhadra Singh, who was stranded in Kinnaur district for nearly 60 hours due to landslides, was evacuated this morning by a chopper hired by his Congress party.

Seven of a family washed away in flood waters

Seven members of a family, including two minors, died after being swept away by floods triggered by incessant rains in Rudraprayag area of Uttarakhand, police said.

Omprakash Pandey (60), his wife Shushma Pandey (55), son Anuj Pandey (32), daughter-in-law Kushuma (28), Abhi (8), Anshu (5) and Premlata Mishra (22) of Lakshmi Purva locality here swept away in the swirling water of the Ganga river yesterday, they said.

The victims, who were on their way to Kedarnath Yatra, stayed in Gauri Kunda Birla hotel in the district.

The entire hotel was swept away in flood waters, police added.

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SGPC writes to Pak PM to ensure safety of Gurdwara properties

AMRITSAR: Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Avtar Singh Makkar has written to Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to ensure safety of Sikh shrines in Pakistan.

Makkar on Tuesday informed that he had written to Sharif to save the property of Gurdwara Sahib Singh Sabha, Sahiwal from land mafia. He said Gurdwara's and its properties belonged to Sikh community and it was duty of Pak government to protect them.

He also expressed concern over property transaction of said Gurdwara allegedly by Sahiwal councilor Rumana Safdar.

Meanwhile Makkar said that SGPC had sent relief material including eatables and medicines to the passengers stranded in Uttrakhand.

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India and China to collaborate in film and broadcast sectors

NEW DELHI: India has pushed for greater access for Indian films in China after the box-office success of Indian films like " 3 Idiots" along with efforts for greater collaboration in films and broadcasting.

Information and broadcasting (I&B) minister Manish Tewari held delegation level talks with his visiting Chinese counterpart Cai Fuchao on Tuesday.

According to officials China will be the guest country at next year's India International Film Festival at Goa. It will also have a presence at this year's Goa film fest with a selection of classical Chinese films.

The film academies of both countries - the Film and Television Institute of India and the Beijing Film Academy - are to have regular exchange programmes.

Tewari, addressing the media after the more than one and a half-hour talks, said both sides had felt the need to further strengthen people to people contact. "Both felt through enhanced cultural exchanges, exchange in the field of films, of personnel in our public broadcasters and cooperation between our private film industry and the industry in China and regular exchanges between our film institutes will help promote further understanding between our two countries."

Cai said the visit last month of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang had held bring about greater consensus between both countries and Tuesday's talks would help give a further fillip to bilateral mutual understanding and cooperation.

A Chinese film festival also kicked off at Siri Fort Tuesday evening with the screening of "Chinese Zodiac" starring action hero Jackie Chan. China allows 10 Hollywood films to be screened every year and New Delhi has asked to allow five Indian films for screening, according to the source.

With Hindi soaps also proving popular, the Indian side also pushed for "landing rights" of Indian channels to be able to screen more Hindi serials, the official added.

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Divisions apparent in Chhattisgarh Congress, Ajit Jogi left out of meeting

RAIPUR: Fissures are evident in the Chhattisgarh Congress, ahead of the polls, with former chief minister Ajit Jogi not being invited for the two-day meeting of senior party office bearers that concluded here on Tuesday.

The Congress strongman also criticised the Union minister of state for agriculture and food processing, CharandasMahant, who has been appointed as the working president of Chhattisgarh State Congress Committee (CGPCC), for his purported statement of "sweeping floors on Sonia Gandhi's calling" and said the remarks do not befit the state president's office.

Taking exception to not being invited for the meeting, Jogi told TOI that he could have contributed a great deal to it. "It was an important meeting where crucial decisions were taken and I could have made some valuable suggestions with my experience," he said regretting the fact that those at the helm chose to keep him out.

Mahant, however, attempted to play down the differences by stating that Jogi was "too senior" to be invited for the meeting of party office bearers. "It was a meeting of district presidents and other office bearers. Jogiji is too senior. We will invite him whenever we hold a meeting of senior party leaders," he said, while adding that the former chief minister was a "respected party leader" and his advice was valuable.

Jogi also made it clear that he would attend the forthcoming party events, including Parivartan and Kalash Yatras, only if he is invited for it. "I will not attend any functions or events without invitation," he categorically stated while adding that the onus to invite him was on Mahant.

Taking a dig at the purported statement of Mahant that he would even sweep (jharu) the floors if Congress president Sonia Gandhi desires so, Jogi said the remarks do not befit the state president. "One should prove loyalty by deeds and not mere statements", he said, adding that the PCC president could have chosen better words to express himself.

Interestingly, Mahant, without denying or confirming his controversial statement, said he wasn't a 'chamcha' or a sycophant. "Media can write what they want but I'm not a chamcha. However, my loyalties and dedications are to the party leadership," he said without naming any individual leader.

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Army steps in to rescue stranded people in Uttarakhand, more than 7800 rescued so far

LUCKNOW: In a bid to intensify the rescue and relief operations in Uttarakhand, which has been hit by severe flood, the Army has deployed more than 5,600 jawans and officers to aid the state government in its efforts. As per latest reports received on Tuesday evening, under operation Ganga, Army has been able to evacuate 1150 persons from Harsil area; 6000 from Joshimath and 700 from Tawaghat area. Till Tuesday morning, the total number of persons rescued was 5635.

Speaking to reporters, Lieutenant General Anil Chait, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Central Command, said, "More than 5600 Army personnel including jawans and officers have spread out across the districts of Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Uttarkashi and Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand and Saharanpur, Bijnor, Muzaffarnagar and Pilibhit districts of Uttar Pradesh to aid the civilian population and pilgrims. Army assistance centres have been made operational at Harsil, Rudraprayag, Joshimath, Mana, Gagriya, Govindghat and Dharchula to provide shelter, food, first aid and drinking water to hundreds of pilgrims stranded at various locations due to torrential rain and swollen rivers."

He further added that eight quick reaction medical teams have established medical aid posts at a number of locations and as many as four ambulance vehicles deployed to evacuate the injured.The Army has undertaken rescue and relief operations in four sectors namely harsil, Kedarnath, Joshimath and Dharchula. Army column has evacuated as many as 600 persons across a rivulet by laying a temporary bridge of wooden logs, and all the persons have been brought to safety. Two officers and 24 soldiers have been inducted by helicopter this morning into Sirsi near Gauri kund, 17 kilometres from Kedarnath.

"In Joshimath sector, national highway-58 has been washed away at Govindghat, and nearly 2000 rescued persons are being housed in Joshimath at present. As many as 1100 army shelters have been installed, efforts are underway to lay cable bridge across Alaknanda to evacuate stranded Hemkund Sahib pilgrims. More than 450 were evacuated yesterday. Many people have been evacuated from low lying areas of Dharchula and adjoining areas flooded by swollen Kali River," Lt Gen Chait further said.

Army columns are presently in the process of evacuating marooned villagers at Rawli, almost eight kilometres west of Bijnor. One Army relief column (roughly 100 men) is now evacuating stranded people from Shamli and Daulatpur area of Saharanpur district. Two Army columns and personnel of Border Roads Organisation have now cleared the road up to 30 kilometres south of Dharasu on Rishikesh - Uttarkashi Road. Nearly 200 persons of Tharali village, almost 5 kilometres North of Harsil have been evacuated and brought to safety this morning.Humanitarian assistance in terms of food, shelter, warm clothing and medical aid has been provided across the regions.

Surya Medical Emergency Helpline (18001805558, 18004190282 and 800983388) was of immense help to stranded pilgrims, and more than 800 calls have been received so far. The Army also confirmed that 15 major landslides had hit the area between Rishikesh to Joshimath. Border Roads Organisation has been deployed to clear the debris and make transportation possible at least for the light vehicles. As far as pilgrims of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra are concerned, all of them are safe.

"The Army has also made provisions of establishing communication of the people at the relief camp with their family members via satellite phones," said the GOC-in-C Central Command.When asked what would be the course of relief and rescue operations in days to come, Lt Gen Chait said that safety and security of the pilgrims is of utmost importance for the Army, followed by the safety and well being of the materials and finally every attempt would be made to make logistic bases, which would act as relief islands.

"Apart from this efforts are on to make helipads, so that relief and rescue operations are further intensified," Chait said and added that military establishment in Munsiyari sector and ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) post at Sela were washed away. The Army is in the process of making helipads mainly at the places of religious importance in the state, so that maximum evacuation could be done.The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief who would be in Uttarakhand today and would be supervising rescue and relief operations has assured that Central Command would standby each and every stranded pilgrim in this hour of crisis.

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