On Monday (13th November) Income Tax officers conducted raids at the residence of relatives of Telangana Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy in Hyderabad. These raids come ahead of the assembly elections scheduled in Telangana.
According to the reports, the officers searched the home of one of the close relatives of Minister Reddy, identified as Pradeep. Pradeep’s Gachibowli flat was searched along with the residences of other relatives of Minister Reddy.
The authorities, meanwhile, also carried out raids at a well-known pharmaceutical company in Hyderabad. Concurrent searches were conducted at 15 different locations throughout the city.
#LIVE | Income Tax department is conducting raids at various locations in Hyderabad. 15 locations are covered in the ongoing raids
The raids were conducted at the residences and offices of the chairman, CEO, and directors of a pharma company in the state.
Searches were also conducted at the staff offices and the home of the pharmaceutical company’s owner. It is believed that Kotla Narendra Reddy who is associated with the well-known pharma company, Dr Reddy’s Lab, is connected to the ongoing probe.
However, the reason behind the raids or further details has not yet been made public by the officers. These raids come ahead of the assembly elections scheduled in Telangana.
The 2023 Telangana Legislative Assembly election is scheduled to be held from 30th November and shall end on 5th December to elect all 119 members of the state’s Legislative Assembly. The voting is scheduled to take place on 30th November, and the votes will be counted on 3rd December.
On Saturday (11th November), the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) issued a notice to the Karnataka Endowments Department after officials dug a nail into one of the pillars of the UNESCO-protected Virupaksha Temple in Hampi.
As per reports, the incident took place during the visit of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to the temple on 2nd November this year. The officials used a drilling machine to dig a nail into a pillar to supposedly manage the crowd of devotees who enter the premises from the south and exit from the North
In its notice to the Endowment Officer, the Conservation Assistant of ASI made it clear, “I have to state that Sri. Virupaksha Temple and Complex is a centrally protected monument maintained by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, Archaeological Survey of India, Hampi Circle through Hampi Sub Circle, Kamalapur.”
Archaeological Survey of India has issued notice to Karnataka Endowments department after ASI protected Hampi's Virupakseshwar Temple pillar was allegedly nailed to alter the movement of devotees during the visit of CM Siddaramaiah to the temple last week. pic.twitter.com/aL6J3fdS6a
“This office has noticed that, you have closed the actualNorthern exit of the Virupaksha Temple Garbhagruha by barricading at the steps and a separate way was done for the devotees as such your office has not taken any permission to close the exit and also your office has fixed the MS hollow pipes in between pillars by making holes and inserting the iron piece in the decorative pillars which is the clear violation of the section 30 of AMASR Act (Amendment and Validation Act) 2010,” the ASI made it clear.
The Karnataka Endowments officials did not seek permission from the Arcaheological Survey of India and dug a nail into the UNESCO Heritage site without their consent. ASI made it clear that under the AMASR Act, desecration of a protected monument is punishable with imprisonment that can extend up to 2 years and a fine of upto ₹1 lakh.
“Any person who moves any antiquity in contravention of a notification issued under sub-section (1) of section 25 shall be punishable with fine which may extend to One lakh rupees: and the court conviction a person of any such contravention may by order direct such person to restore the antiquity to the place from which it was moved. This is for favour of kind information and for further needful action in the matter please,” it concluded.
It must be mentioned that the monument complex suffered damage when four miscreants deliberately vandalised and brought down some pillars in February 2019 A court in Hospet fined them Rs 70,000 each and ordered them to re-erect the pillars.
Five people have been arrested in connection with an alleged gang rape of a woman at a hotel in Uttar Pradesh’s Agra, police officials said on Sunday.
The woman informed the authorities that her friend, along with a few others, compelled her to consume alcohol. Subsequently, she was forcibly taken into a room where she faced physical assault from some men when she attempted to voice her objection. Additionally, she reported that a glass bottle had been shattered on her head during the altercation.
Police said they received a call from the victim late Saturday night, following which they rushed to the homestay and took action against the accused.
“On Saturday night, Tajganj police received a call that in a rich homestay, a woman here had been raped and assaulted. According to the complaint filed by the victim, a case has been filed under relevant sections,” Archana Singh, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Agra Sadar, said on Sunday.
“Four men and a woman have been arrested after the incident. The medical examination of the victim will be done and legal action is being taken in the case,” Archana Singh, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Agra Sadar.
The victim had been employed at the homestay for eighteen months. A video, currently circulating widely, depicts her urgently seeking assistance as a man pulls her into a room.
In the video, her plea for assistance, “Please help me!” is audible as a man forcibly takes her into a room. The footage further reveals her lying on the ground, accusing the men of “torture.”
In a separate video, the woman mentions that she is being blackmailed with a compromising video that was recorded earlier.
“Save me, please! I have four daughters. They dragged me and confiscated my phone. They’re blackmailing me with a video of mine. Additionally, they’ve extorted money from me,” she pleaded in the video.
#आगरा में होटल होम स्टे में महिला कर्मचारी से गैंगरेप का मामला आया सामने
पीड़ित महिला का एक वीडियो वायरल हो रहा है जिसमें वो छोड़ देने और मदद करने की गुहार लगा रही है लेकिन कोई उसकी मदद नहीं करता है.
A case has been filed under charges of rape, assault, and pertinent sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). In connection with the case, four men and one woman have been apprehended by the authorities.
(This news report is published with inputs from ANI’s syndicated feed)
Diwali is the most important festival for Hindus in India in which people gather, light lamps, share sweets, and wish each other an abundance of prosperity and happiness. The festival marks the celebration of the return of Lord Rama, Goddess Sita, and Lakshmana to Ayodhya from 14 years of exile. Hence, Diwali in Ayodhya is a lavish affair and is celebrated with pomp and fanfare. The same this time was witnessed by popular Korean vlogger named Myochi.
On Sunday (12th November), Myochi took to social media platforms to reveal that she was loving her second trip to India and that she was happy celebrating the festival of Diwali in Ayodhya. “Happy #Diwali from Hanuman Garhri Mandir. I am heading to Ram Mandir! Thanks for everybody suggesting a perfect plan for Diwali. My second trip to #india starting beautifully #HappyDiwali,” she said in a tweet.
Happy #Diwali from Hanuman Garhri Mandir. I am heading to Ram Mandir! Thanks for everybody suggesting a perfect plan for Diwali❤️ My second trip to #india starting beautifully #HappyDiwalipic.twitter.com/su2HFc4p4u
The vlogger arrived in India on November 11 and began her journey to explore the biggest and the most important festival of the Hindus. In one of her posts, she said that many of the netizens had suggested she witness the Deepotsav during Diwali in Ayodhya so she had traveled from Korea to India for Diwali.
After 48 hours I finally arrived in Ayodhya. It was a long journey from Korea. Everybody told me to come to celebrate Diwali here so I am here! Where should I go tomorrow in Ayodhya? pic.twitter.com/KWZfDk9EUw
The vlogger shared several pictures of her visiting the Hanuman Garhri temple and also having prasadam. She could be seen wearing a huge tilak on her forehead reading ‘Jai Shri Ram’. Later Myochi went to the Sharayu Ghat in Ayodhya to witness the Deepotsav and also could be seen lighting a lamp (diya).
Meanwhile, the vlogger after the Diwali celebrations at the Sarayu ghat claimed that she was harassed by one unidentified individual in the city. “While taking a picture there was one guy with a yellow shirt, he was grabbing my butt. The first time I thought was it because it was too crowded but the second time I grabbed his hand as it grabbed my butt and screamed at him ‘Don’t touch me’ and left. I felt terrible because this is not the first time,” she said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
not first time and my head was full of thoughts about what people online are gonna say bad thing on me even he is the one who did wrong. I was picturing people saying on the internet that this is my fault and i am making India’s image bad, I am wearing inappropriate, I should not
She said that she had no intentions to defame India and that she had come to India for the second time only because she had a wonderful time during her last visit. “I came here again because I had such a wonderful time before and to experience the biggest celebration this time and I won’t let other people ruin my journey. I don’t want to be a ‘Girl who got sexually harassed’ all the time so this is gonna be the first and the last time,” she said in a tweet thread.
Notably, Myochi was harassed in Mumbai last year by two persons who were identified as Mobeen Chand Mohammad Shaikh and Mohammad Naqeeb Sadrealam Ansari. The Mumbai Police had arrested the duo after they tried to grab her and kiss her during live streaming. The girl was shocked and was quoted as saying, “Please don’t tell me if I have done something wrong. Did I? Maybe I should stop smiling at strangers. That’s right? Not being nice to other people. Is that what you are saying? Don’t tell me that I have done something wrong.”
Myochi, whose original Korean name is Hyo jeong, is a popular vlogger who livestreams her travelling experience.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Sunday that 88 diplomats from 54 countries had visited the new Ayodhya and witnessed the grand ‘Deepotsav’ in the holy city.
Speaking to ANI about the grand Deepotsav, CM Yogi said, “The country and the world have witnessed the Deepotsav of Ayodhya. Diplomats from 54 countries have come and visited the new Ayodhya. The grand ‘Deepotsav’ was part of Prime Minister Modi’s vision. The festival of Diwali is a medium for all of us to transmit positive energy. I wish everyone a very happy Diwali and pray for the well-being of the people of the state.”
The Chief Minister also said those who were not present on the occasion mentioned that they had missed the chance to come to the holy city on the festive day.
“88 diplomats from 54 countries came yesterday (to Ayodhya). Those who were not present here (Ayodhya) texted us that they had missed the chance to come to Ayodhya. Those diplomats) who were present here during Deepotsav said that they should have come with their family, it would have been more delightful,” said the Yogi.
Earlier on Diwali day, CM Yogi visited the Hanuman Garhi temple on Sunday morning and offered prayers to Lord Hanuman in Ayodhya on the auspicious occasion of Diwali. He also visited the site of Ram Lala Virajman in Ayodhya and offered prayers.
Ayodhya organised a grand Deepotsav on Saturday and illuminated over 22.23 lakh ‘Diyas’ (earthen lamps) to celebrate the festival of lights.
The temple town set a new Guinness world record by lighting over 22.23 lakh ‘Diyas’ (earthen lamps) during ‘Deepotsav 2023’ and broke its previous world record of 15.76 lakh Diyas lit last year on Diwali eve.
Artists from different countries, such as Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Russia, performed Ramleela at Ayodhya’s Deepotsav. The residents of Ayodhya were delighted to witness the enactment of Ramleela and the artistic expressions of artists from different countries.
The Sri Lankan artists portrayed the character of Shri Ram, while artists from Janakpur, Nepal, staged incidents from the life of Shri Ram. The Russian artists also delivered a splendid performance.
To make the event more exciting, a light and sound laser show based on the Ramayana was organised for about 20 minutes at Ram Ki Paidi during Deepotsav.
Along with the Chief Minister, Governor Anandiben Patel, foreign diplomats, and members of the Yogi cabinet attended the event.
The Chief Minister also visited the grand 3D holographic show, projection mapping, and laser show based on the Ramayana.
At the Naya Ghat, everyone, including the Chief Minister and other guests, was enthralled by the spectacular musical fireworks.
The homecoming of Lord Ram, Sita and Lakshman was staged at a programme organised prior to the mega event Deepotsav.
The occasion was further embellished with the showering of flower petals from a helicopter, eliciting joy throughout Ayodhya. (ANI)
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
On Saturday (11th November), ‘journalist’ Rajdeep Sardesai courted controversy after he suggested that TMC MP Mahua Moitra was being targeted for being an ‘English speaking MP’. He made the contentious claims during his analysis of ‘MahuaGate’ on his YouTube channel.
“First Rahul Gandhi’s suspension and now Mahua Moitra’s likely expulsion. Is there an ominous message being sent out? If so, who is sending out this message?” the ‘journalist’ hinted at a larger conspiracy.
He then glossed over the TMC MP’s involvement in the ‘cash for query’ scandal and claimed, “Did Mahua Moitra become a target simply because she became a high profile English-speaking MP who made too many enemies too soon? Think about it.”
"Did Mahua Moitra become a target simply because she became a high profile English-speaking MP who made too many enemies?"
Although Rajdeep Sardesai set out to unravel the ‘backstory’ of this high-profile scandal, he ended up painting the Trinamool Congress leader as a victim of political vendetta.
The ‘journalist’ tried to garner sympathy for Mahua Moitra by claiming that she chose to return to India and serve grassroots politics despite studying at an American University and working as an investment banker.
“Within months of entering the Lok Sabha, she made an instant impression. She quickly earned the reputation of being an effective public speaker, taking on the Narendra Modi government,” Rajdeep Sardesai heaped praise on Mahua Moitra for supposedly doing what other Opposition leaders had failed.
He claimed that the Trinamool Congress MP took the Adani Group head-on with ‘facts’ and was the only politician apart from Congress scion Rahul Gandhi to exhibit such political courage.
Rajdeep Sardesai raked up the issue of the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi and suggested that it could have been the consequence of his critical speeches and tweets against Indian businessman Gautam Adani.
The ‘journalist’ skirted over the fact that the Congress scion was disqualified for defaming the ‘Modi’ community. Nonetheless, he claimed, “Now Mahua Moitra is in danger of being expelled from Lok Sabha? Is there a connection?”
Rajdeep Sardesai attacks Darshan Hiranandani
In a bid to make a case for Mahua Moitra, Rajdeep Sardesai questioned the integrity of Darshan Hiranandani who turned approver in the ‘cash for query’ scandal involving the TMC MP.
“Why was Darshan Hiranandani not summoned by the ethics panel to explain his conduct? Why isn’t Darshan Hiranandani questioned before Mahua’s guilt is pronounced?” he asked.
“It is indeed this unusual haste with which this entire operation is being carried out…Actions cannot take place without a due process and not through media trial and not where an Ethics Committee instead of following principles of natural justice reduces itself to a Kangaroo court,” the ‘journalist’ insinuated a ‘witch-hunt’ against Mahua Moitra.
Lok Sabha Ethics Committee recommended the expulsion of Mahua Moitra
On 9th November, it came to light that the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee’s draft report accused Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra of “unethical conduct”. The report stated that she shared her login credentials with unauthorised individuals. The draft revealed that Moitra made multiple trips to UAE, and her account was logged in 47 times from Dubai. The Ethics committee sought a report on IP addresses and emphasised the legal consequences of the MP’s action.
Recommending Moitra’s expulsion, the report called it “unethical conduct” and “contempt of the House” while seeking a government inquiry into the matter. OpIndia accessed a portion of the report draft containing conversations between the committee members with Mahua Moitra and Danish Ali.
The discussion between the committee members and Mahua Moitra revolved around her foreign trips and where she stayed. The questions led to a heated exchange centred around the “appropriateness” of the questions. Moitra and the opposition leaders vehemently raised objections to the questions.
In the parts of the conversation that OpIndia accessed, Moitra accepted twice that she had shared credentials with Darshan Hiranandani. Agitated by the so-called “personal questions”, she said, “We are here to determine two things. Number one, whether I gave the login and password to Darshan Hiranandani, to which he had unauthorized access. I have already told you since 2019, he has had a person in his office typing my questions. The questions were mine but not unauthorized because it was my OTP. So he did not have access. The first question has already been answered.”
Moitra categorically refused to accept that she received kickbacks from Hiranandani in exchange for the questions asked in the Parliament. She claimed that the assertion that she received kickbacks was based on the ex-boyfriend’s complaint, referring to Supreme Court Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai.
The Background of the Controversy
On 14th October, the Indian political scene experienced a major tremor as BJP MP Nishkant Dubey wrote to the ethics committee seeking an inquiry against TMC MP Mahua Moitra in the ‘Cash for Query’ matter.
He based his complaint on the letter written by Supreme Court lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai, who alleged that most of the questions asked by the TMC MP in Lok Sabha directly or indirectly benefit businessman Darshan Hiranandani.
Dehadrai also accused Moitra of “kidnapping” his pet dog Henry, adding another layer of complications to Mahuagate. Moitra filed a case against Dubey and Dehadrai but never denied accepting gifts. Interestingly, she has also been accused of sharing her Lok Sabha credentials with Hiranandani so he can post questions independently.
Hiranandani has reportedly turned approver in the case and submitted an affidavit suggesting the allegations against Moitra are true. Dehadrai and Dubey were called to submit evidence of Moitra’s alleged wrongdoings in front of the ethics committee on 26th October.
When the Ethics Committee initially called Moitra, she refused, claimed to have prior engagements and sought another date. She got another date for the hearing, and on the day of the hearing, she played the victim card while coming out, claiming she faced “cheerharan” like Draupadi from Mahabharat. Meanwhile, Henry has been returned to Dehadrai.
The Tripura Police have arrested 14 Bangladeshi nationals in Sabroom in South Tripura district bordering Bangladesh, for entering India illegally. Acting on a tip-off, a joint team of the Tripura Police and Border Security Force (BSF) personnel of the 96 Battalion apprehended the Bangladeshi nationals including women and children.
The 14 arrested were taking shelter at the residence of a local individual identified as Kraisu Mog in the Baishnabpur area. Two more locals identified as Athubai Mog and Khoka Tripura have been arrested for acting as middlemen and facilitating the entry of Bangladeshi nationals illegally into India.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the arrested accused had entered India to travel to Karnataka. The BSF and Sabroom Police rushed to the residence of Kraisu Mog and detained the 14 Bangladeshis including four women, four men and children.
According to the officer-in-charge of the Sabroom Police station, Apu Das, the 62-km border in the Sabroom division could not be fully fenced due to geographical problems, and human traffickers are using it as a result.
“We are showing zero tolerance towards human trafficking. Those accused of assisting in infiltration are also being booked under stringent charges that deal with human trafficking,” Das said.
The crackdown comes five days after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) picked up 25 middlemen from Tripura who were part of a gang that was facilitating the entry of Rohingyas and Bangladeshis into Tripura.
On 12th November, the people of Delhi defied the firecracker ban imposed by the Supreme Court of India and the Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi Government. For hours, Delhi witnessed Diwali celebrations at full glory.
Air quality across Delhi continues to be in the 'Poor' category as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
AQI in Anand Vihar at 296, in RK Puram at 290, in Punjabi Bagh at 280 and in ITO at 263 pic.twitter.com/z0GRhqSqgR
While media trials of Hindus have begun blaming their festival for the poor air quality in the national capital, data shows that the AQI is “much better” compared to what it was a few days back due to stubble-burning instances in Punjab. In a post, Rajdeep Sardesai blamed Diwali for poor air quality. He wrote, “AQI this morning in Anand Vihar is as high as 970 and terribly hazardous. The day after Diwali is smog filled and polluted in many parts of the national capital. So much for the Supreme Court cracker ban. There are many wonderful ways to celebrate Diwali, bursting crackers through the night is surely not one of them.”
AQI this morning in Anand Vihar is as high as 970 and terribly hazardous. The day after Diwali is smog filled and polluted in many parts of the national capital. So much for the Supreme Court cracker ban.. there are many wonderful ways to celebrate Diwali, bursting crackers…
Delhi was shrouded in a dense smog post-Diwali due to widespread cracker bursting, despite the government's 'Diya Jalao, Patakhe nahi' initiative and the Supreme Court's firecracker restrictions. @Sabyasachi_13 & @DSKTweeets with more inputs pic.twitter.com/y2iFIct8Xx
Interestingly, the Delhi air was far worse in the weeks preceding Diwali because of the farm fires in Punjab. It was only the blessings of the ‘Rain Gods’ that brought down AQI dramatically a couple of days before Diwali in Delhi. Otherwise, neither the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government nor the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government was able to control pollution. Not to forget, the Supreme Court categorically blamed stubble burning in Punjab for the worsening air quality in Delhi. Interestingly, AAP in Delhi kept giving Punjab clean chit throughout the stubble-burning season and accused other states like Haryana, where stubble-burning instances were not even 10% of Punjab.
OpIndia checked the AQI of Delhi from 8 PM on 12th November to 8 AM on 13th November and compared it to AQI at 8 PM on 6th November to 8 PM on 11th November to get a clearer picture. We checked Anand Vihar for the comparison.
Anand Vihar AQI stats
Firecrackers started to peak at around 8 PM in Delhi. At that time, the AQI of Anand Vihar station was 286. At 10 PM, the AQi increased by a few points and was recorded at 294. At 12 AM on 13th November, the AQI crossed the 300 mark and was recorded at 302. At 2 AM, it improved a bit and was recorded at 291. At 4 AM, the AQI again enhanced to 283. At 6 AM, it was recorded at 296, and at 8 AM, the AQI was 312. All the numbers have been taken from the Central Pollution Control Board’s National Air Quality Index.
AQI of Delhi’s Anand Vihat at 8 PM on 12th November (Diwali). Source: CPCD-NAQI
AQI of Delhi’s Anand Vihat at 12 AM on 13th November (Diwali). Source: CPCD-NAQI
AQI of Delhi’s Anand Vihat at 8 AM on 13th November (Next morning to Diwali). Source: CPCD-NAQI
On 6th November, the AQI of Anand Vihar at 8 PM was 429. On 7th November, it was 457. On 8th November, it was 445. On the 9th and 10th of November, as it was raining, the website showed insufficient data. So we changed the time to 11 AM on 9th November. At that time, AQI was 431. Data for 10th November was not available. On 11th November at 8 PM, AQI was recorded at 265.
AQI of Delhi on 11 November at 8 PM. Source: CPCD-NAQI
AQI of Delhi on 8th November at 8 PM. Source: CPCD-NAQI
AQI of Delhi on 6th November at 8 PM. Source: CPCD-NAQI
The data clearly shows that the bad air quality in Delhi is not because of Diwali but stubble-burning incidents, especially in AAP-led Punjab.
It is notable here that many media channels have been reporting much elevated AQI levels in different parts of Delhi at 12 AM on Diwali night. But it was when Diwali was on and AQI levels are expected to be bad because cold air traps pollutants. Even inside homes, the pollutant indicators in air purifier go red when there is cooking going on in the kitchen. The levels come down after some time.
The way the media and some so-called ‘activists’ are blaming Diwali to shame Delhi residents for celebrating their festival for a day while actively ignoring the farm fires in Punjab, that are the consistent reason behind the toxic air in Delhi shows their hypocrisy. The narrative is to blame the Hindu festival and Delhi residents celebrating it, while governments carry on ignoring actual issues that cause pollution.
Telangana Congress chief Revanth Reddy on Sunday said the party will remove all the cases registered against its workers if voted power in the poll-bound state. The TPCC chief said Congress workers should continue to bring the alleged misdeeds of the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) to the fore without fear.
“If elected, we will withdraw all false cases filed against Congress workers. I would urge our workers to bring the misdeeds of the ruling party to the fore without fear,” Reddy said at a press briefing in Hyderabad on Sunday.
He said all rival forces have ganged up to defeat the Congress in the November 30 elections.
“In Telangana, the ongoing campaign stops by Chief Minister KCR (K Chandrasekhar Rao), Prime Minister Narendra Modi and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi are pointing to the fact that they have joined forces to defeat the Congress,” Reddy added.
Telangana is scheduled to go to assembly elections on November 30 and the counting of votes, along with those of four other poll-bound states, has been scheduled for December 3.
The state is set to witness a triangular contest among the BJP, BRS, and Congress.
In the previous Assembly election in 2018, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), previously known as Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), won 88 of the 119 seats, hogging 47.4 per cent of the total vote share.
The Congress came in a distant second with just 19 seats.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
Rescue operations are underway at an under-construction tunnel in Uttarkashi that collapsed earlier on 12th November, Sunday.
Speaking to ANI about the ongoing rescue operation at the tunnel, Mritunjay Kumar, the loader operator, said that the team is removing the debris using excavators and other heavy machines.
“The work of mucking is underway. Mucking is being done with the loader & excavator. Approximately 30-35 meters of the tunnel have been broken. The incident happened around 5:30 am. We have information about around 40-45 people being trapped. Everyone is safe,” he added.
The SDRF team is leading the rescue operation.
Earlier in the day, Uttarkashi District Magistrate Abhishek Ruhela said the priority of the administration is to evacuate workers trapped inside the under-construction tunnel, and rescue operations are ongoing on war footing.
The DM, while cancelling the leaves of all the officers of the district, instructed them to immediately report to their respective workplaces and be ready round the clock for relief and rescue operations.
According to Uttarkashi SP Arpan Yaduvanshi, a portion of the under-construction tunnel connecting Silkyara to Dandalgaon collapsed on Saturday night. A part of the tunnel broke about 200 metres ahead of the starting point on the Silkyara side of Brahmakhal-Polgaon.
Yaduvanshi said according to the officials of Hydroelectricity Investment and Development Company Limited (HIDCL), which has been contracted to build the tunnel, about 36 people are feared trapped under the debris and efforts are underway to pull them out alive.
“Efforts are on to open up the tunnel. The process of removing debris from inside the tunnel is already in progress,” an official said.
A team from the State Disaster Response Team (SDRF) and the police are in charge of the ongoing rescue operations.
Word about the tunnel collapse was received at the District Control Room, Uttarkashi, with the caller requesting the assistance of an SDRF team at the spot.
Acting on the information, SDRF Commander Manikant Mishra directed a rescue team led by Inspector Jagdamba Vijalwan to leave for the spot with the necessary rescue equipment, they said.
“After reaching the spot, the SDRF personnel launched a relief and rescue operation on a war footing in coordination with other rescue units,” the official said. (ANI)
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
