Army launches website on Uttarakhand relief

LUCKNOW: Central Army Command launched an exclusive website on Wednesday for the benefit of flood affected people, their families and relatives. It is for the first time the army has come out with a website for a relief operation.

According to the press release issued by the Central Command, the site " suryahopes.in" gives minute to minute update on Army operations across Uttarakhand, location wise data of people stranded at various places, list of rescued persons, helpline numbers, latest news about flood victims and provides links to Uttarakhand government web site and google sites giving information on flood affected people. By logging on to this site, anyone from around the world can locate his near and dear ones. Although the data is not exhaustive, but it is being updated as and when the information is available.

Earlier in the day, for the first time since floods ravaged the hill districts of Uttarakhand resulting in extensive damage to road infrastructure, army engineers constructed an iron bridge across Alaknanda at Lambagar. Army engineers negotiated numerous land slides on Rishikesh - Badrinath road and thousands of stranded vehicles, to reach Lambagar last evening. Army constructed the bridge throughout the night despite inclement weather conditions to ensure that it is ready for use by pilgrims evacuating by foot from Bardinath.

Evacuation from both Harsil and Badrinath continued throughout the day. While 500 people have been evacuated from Harsil by air and 800 people have been evacuated from Barinath till filing of this report. As many as 375 have moved on foot. As per latest reports approximately 450 are still awaiting evacuation from Harsil and approximately 3000 are waiting for their turn at Badrinath. Army search operations in Jungle Chatti continued for the third day based on instructions given by Army Commander of Central Command. No stranded pilgrims were found. Veterniary medical aid team treated more than 100 animals today on Hemkund axis. The animals got stranded following washing away of bridge at Govind Ghat. Besides, two army psychiatrists interacted with stranded pilgrims and provided them counselling.

More than 5600 Army personnel are deployed across Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Pithoragarh districts of Uttarakhand for the past 10 days risking their own lives to save lives of our countrymen. Army has so far evacuated more than 33,000 people since June 17. While over 25,000 people were rescued by foot, over 8000 were moved out by helicopter. Thirteen Army Aviation aircraft conducted 600 sorties to evacuate 2715 people and ferry 24 tonnes of food, fuel, medicines, blankets and relief material to the people.

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Ganga recedes slightly, but still above warning level

KANPUR: The water level of river Ganga on Wednesday came down slightly, but continues to flow above the warning level and a little below the danger mark.

"The water level in Ganga came down to 113 metre and 30 cm at 9 AM today. It is flowing 30 cm above the red mark of 113 metres and 70 cm below the danger mark of 114 cm," Kanpur ADM (Finance) and the nodal officer for relief work here SP Singh said.

"Till last night, the river was flowing at 113 metres and 65 cm," he said.

"However, the administration is still at high alert as the sky is overcast since morning and there is a possibility of rains," he added.

Talking about the measures taken to deal with the situation, Singh said, "preparations have been done to evacuate nearly 20,000 people living in 30 villages around the Ganga in case the river breaches the danger mark."

"The evacuees will be shifted to six flood relief camps established by the government. Arrangements have already been made for food and lodging at these camps," he added.

"Eighty boats have been arranged for the evacuation of stranded people in case of flood. Also, police have been asked to be ready to deal with any security-related issues," he added.

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Situation in Meghalaya's Garo Hills inching to normalcy

SHILLONG: An uneasy calm prevailed in Meghalaya's Garo Hills region on Wednesday, two days after eight migrant labourers were killed in a remote mining village in South Garo Hills district which prompted their exodus.

Sunday's incident followed last week's killing of a migrant labourer who was caught by a mob molesting a mentally unstable girl in West Garo Hills Tura town.

"The situation has begun to move back to normalcy but district magistrates and police were kept on high alert," South Garo Hills district deputy commissioner CP Gotmare said.

While all the deceased victims have been compensated by the respective district administration with Rs 3 lakh, he said over 3000 migrant labourers were evacuated to safety under police protection.

Following the two incidents, over 10,000 migrant labourers from neighbouring Assam have fled to their places of origin for safety.

An additional company of BSF was deployed in the plain belts of West Garo Hills, district deputy commissioner P Bakshi said adding that night curfew is still on.

Inspector General of Police (Western Range) H Nongpluh said the situation along the inter-state border with Assam is limping back to normalcy but security forces are on high alert for any breakdown of law and order.

Peace meetings with locality elders, church leaders and nomination heads were also directed to be held to get assurance and support in maintaining peace, Bakshi said.

Meanwhile, the Centre has also acceded to the state's demand for additional counter insurgency deployment of ten companies of para military forces in militant-hit five Garo Hills districts, sources said.

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Syria death toll tops 100,000, rebels lose border town

BEIRUT: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces have retaken a town on the Lebanese border as they press an offensive against rebels in a conflict that has now cost more than 100,000 lives, activists said on Wednesday.

The army took full control of Tel Kalakh, driving out insurgents and ending an unofficial truce under which it had allowed a small rebel presence to remain for several months.

The fall of Tel Kalakh, two miles (3km) from the border with Lebanon, marks another gain for Assad after the capture of the rebel stronghold of Qusair this month, and consolidates his control around the central city of Homs, which links Damascus to his Alawite heartland overlooking the Mediterranean coast.

Like Qusair, Tel Kalakh was used by rebels in the early stages of the conflict as a transit point for weapons and fighters smuggled into Syria to join the fight against Assad.

Pro-Assad websites showed video footage of soldiers patrolling the town in armoured cars and on foot.

"Terrorist groups infiltrated and terrorised the local people," an army officer said in the video. "In response to the request of the local people, the army entered Tel Kalakh to cleanse the area and restore security."

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a pro-opposition monitoring group, said rebels left the town on Tuesday, retreating towards the nearby Crusader fort of Crac des Chevaliers. Three rebels were killed as the army moved in.

Six months ago, Assad's opponents were challenging the president's grip on parts of Damascus, but are now under fierce military pressure there, while their supply lines from neighbouring Jordan and Lebanon have steadily been choked off.

Death toll tops 100,000

In response to Assad's gains, achieved with the support of Lebanon's pro-Iranian Hezbollah fighters who spearheaded the assault on Qusair, Western and Arab nations pledged at the weekend to send urgent military aid to the rebels.

Hezbollah's involvement has highlighted the increasingly sectarian dynamic in the Syrian conflict. Hezbollah and Tehran back Assad, whose Alawite minority is an offshoot of Shia Islam, while Sunni Muslim states such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have stepped up support for the mainly Sunni rebels.

Radical Sunni militants from abroad, some of them linked to al-Qaida, are also coming in to fight alongside the rebels.

Jordan's King Abdullah said the war could ignite conflict across the Middle East unless global powers helped to convene peace talks soon.

"It has become clear to all that the Syrian crisis may extend from being a civil war to a regional and sectarian conflict...the extent of which is unknown," the monarch told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper in an interview.

"It is time for a more serious Arab and international coordination to stop the deterioration of the Syrian crisis. The situation cannot wait any longer," he added.

But prospects for proposed "Geneva 2" peace talks look bleak. Talks on Tuesday between the United States and Russia, which support opposing sides in Syria, produced no agreement on who should attend the conference or when it should be held.

Saudi Arabia, which views Shia Iran as its arch-rival, has stepped up aid to Syrian rebels in recent months, supplying anti-aircraft missiles among other weapons.

"Syria is facing a double-edged attack. It is facing genocide by the government and an invasion from outside the government," Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said on Tuesday. "(It) is facing a massive flow of weapons to aid and abet that invasion and that genocide. This must end."

The Observatory, which monitors violence through a network of security and medical sources in Syria, said the death toll from two years of conflict had risen above 100,000 - making it by far the deadliest of the uprisings to have swept the region.

It said the figure included 18,000 rebel fighters and about 40,000 soldiers and pro-Assad militiamen. But the true number of combatants killed was likely to be double that due to both sides' secrecy in reporting casualties, it said.

In addition to the casualties, it said, 10,000 people had been detained by pro-Assad forces and 2,500 soldiers and loyalist militiamen had been captured by the rebels.

The United Nations has put the death toll from the 27-month-old conflict at 93,000 by the end of April.

The violence has fuelled instability and sectarian tensions in Syria's neighbours, particularly Iraq and Lebanon.

At least 40 people were killed this week in the Lebanese city of Sidon in clashes between the army and gunmen loyal to a firebrand Sunni cleric who backs the Syrian rebels and has urged Sunnis to challenge Hezbollah's military might in Lebanon.

On Wednesday, unidentified attackers stabbed at least five passengers on a bus carrying Syrians in Beirut, security sources said. None of the victims was seriously wounded, they said.

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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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Mercedes sees India in top 10 markets by 2020; launches new E Class

Available in three variants, the new E-Class sports a starting price of Rs 41.5 lakh for the E200 CGI petrol variant.

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Jun 25, 2013, 02.11PM IST

NEW DELHI: German luxury car maker Mercedes Benz on Tuesday said it expects India to be among its top ten global markets by 2020, as it continues to bring latest models and spread sales network in the country.

The company which launched the new E Class model priced between Rs 41.51 lakh and Rs 44.48 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) said it will look to reduce the time gap between global showcase of a new model and its launch in India as part of its aggressive business strategy for the country.

"Today the Indian market is not in the top ten global markets in terms of volumes for Mercedes but we believe in the potential of the market. Our expectation is that it will be in the top ten by 2020," Mercedes Benz India Managing Director and CEO Eberhard Kern said.

Commenting on the potential of the Indian market, he said: "The base on which we are working is that by 2020 the overall car market in India will be 7 million units, up from 2.6 million last year."

Of the total, the share of the luxury segment will be 4 per cent by 2020, as compared to 1.2 per cent last year, he added.

"So the potential is huge in India and we are preparing ourself for the future although 2013 will not be a good year for the auto sector here," Kern said.

The company has been focusing on new product launches and network expansion.

"The new E Class is yet another example of our efforts to bring the latest global product in India at the shortest possible time. It was showcased globally in January at Detroit auto show and commercially launched in Europe in March and in June it is in India," Kern said.

Going forward, the effort will be to reduce the time further, although "for the Indian market we have to have a right hand drive car and diesel is a must", he said.

He said the E Class has been the company's flagship model and with the launch of this new model, the company expects sales to grow further.

"Globally 11 million units have been sold across five generations of the E Class and in India we have sold over 23,000 units since it was launched in 1995," Kern said.

The E Class will be available in both petrol and diesel options. While the petrol version is powered by a 2 litre engine, the diesel has a 2.2 litre engine. The company is also offering a special launch edition of the new E Class at Rs 49.9 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

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Entire nation stands united against terrorism, PM says in J&K

KISHTWAR, J&K: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said that the entire nation stands united against terrorism which will not be allowed to succeed, a day after terrorists struck in Srinagar killing eight army men.

"I want to pay my tributes to the soldiers who laid down their lives while fighting the terrorists. I would like to make it clear that the entire nation stands united against terrorism and will not allow their nefarious designs to succeed," he said.

Noting that security was a pre-requisite for growth, Singh said the Centre and Jammu and Kashmir government will work together towards improving the situation in the state for fast and uniform development.

"Our analysis is that, security situation in Jammu and Kashmir has shown considerable improvement. Terrorist-related violence in 2012 had shown a sharp decline and was the lowest in last two decades," he said, laying the foundation stone of the 850 MW Rattle hydroelectric power project here along with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

The Prime Minister said, "The Centre and the state government have vowed to improve the security situation in the state to ensure fast, sustainable and uniform development in the state."

After several "difficult" years, collective efforts have resulted in putting Jammu and Kashmir on a faster pace of development, Singh said.

The Prime Minister, however, said constant vigil was needed to prevent attacks like the one that took place yesterday at Hyderpora.

Singh and Gandhi paid tributes to the soldiers killed in yesterday's terror attack in Srinagar and visited the Army Base Hospital at Badamibagh cantonment to inquire about the condition of injured jawans.

On the power front, the Prime Minister said the Centre will provide all help to Jammu and Kashmir in overcoming the electricity shortage and announced several steps in this direction, including additional 150 MW supply from the northern grid.

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Rajnath to flag-off relief materials for Uttarakhand tomorrow

LUCKNOW: BJP national president Rajnath Singh would flag off relief materials for the victims of flash floods in Uttarakhand from here on Wednesday.

"The national president would flag off relief materials and first instalment of the fund collected by the party for calamity-hit Uttarakhand on Wednesday," BJP state president Laxmi Kant Bajpai told reporters here.

He said that the party was working on short and long term plan to provide relief to affected people in the state.

"First BJP and RSS are providing immediate relief material including food grains, medicines, blankets, covers and fare to the people. Secondly, the party will work for the rehabilitation of the people," he said.

Bajpai said that it was the BJP, which took first initiative when its MLAs donated their one month salary to relief fund.

Demanding an all-party meeting over the issue, the BJP leader said, "it was necessary as majority of the victims and those stranded are from UP, but the efforts made by the government for relief measures for pilgrims from the state are either nil or negligible".

He said that there was a provision that in case of natural calamity, an MLA can give Rs 5 lakh from his fund.

"We demanded that the provision should be amended and MLAs should be allowed to give Rs 25 lakh....this government can amend rules to give cars to legislators, but makes no arrangement to extend relief," he alleged.

Bajpai said that while other states sent their ministers and opened helplines, the state government acted late.

"While BSP leader Satish Mishra is busy in addressing Brahmin sammelans, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav is distributing laptops," he claimed.

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Nigeria hangs four prisoners in first executions since 2006

ABUJA: Four prisoners have been hanged in Nigeria, an official said on Tuesday, in the first known executions since 2006 which Amnesty International described as "a truly dark day for human rights in the country".

Nigeria has faced international criticism over its death penalty and an estimated 1,000 people are on death row.

The four prisoners were convicted of either armed robbery or murder and were hanged in southern Edo state on Monday, the state's justice minister told Reuters by phone.

"They have been on death row for a long time and they were executed yesterday," Henry Idahagbon said. He did not say why authorities had decided to use the death penalty after a gap of seven years.

"These executions mark a sudden, brutal return to the use of the death penalty in Nigeria, a truly dark day for human rights in the country," said Lucy Freeman, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for Africa.

Idahagbon said two of the death warrants had been signed by Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole, and the other two by the previous governor.

"If the international community deems it wrong they should approach the national assembly for review of the law," he said.

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Extra precautions being taken for Amarnath Yatra: J&K police

JAMMU: With the first batch of the Amarnath Yatra scheduled to leave from the city on June 27, the Jammu and Kashmir police today said that they are taking "extra precautions" to ensure a safe and sound pilgrimage.

So far nearly three lakh people have registered for the annual yatra which will be flagged off from Jammu by minister for tourism G A Mir.

"Whatever is required from the security point of view is being done. All necessary measures are being taken. Extra precautions are being taken to ensure that there are no untoward incidents," IGP, Jammu, Rajesh Kumar, told PTI on Tuesday.

Asked about the additional deployment of forces in view of the recent attack on the Army convoy in Srinagar, the IGP said "During the Yatra there is always an additional deployment of the forces and this time around it is no different."

However, on the functioning of the CCTV's which form an important part of watch and ward, the police officers said it will take some time before they are fully functional.

"CCTV's are still non-functional, work is in progress to make them operational and we are hopeful that in the coming weeks they will be fully functional," he said.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Jammu, Atul Goel, meanwhile, said that special attention is being given to maintaining the security at railway station and at the places where the pilgrims will stay.

He also informed that high level of security will also be maintained at the spot registration counters at Saraswati Dham, Vaishnavi Dham and Jammu Haat.

On the traffic front, SSP Traffic Manmohan Singh said all incoming vehicles will report at the Yatri Niwas at Bhagwati Nagar and from there they will leave for the Yatra in the shape of convoys with a traffic inspector heading them to the destination on rotational basis.

"The vehicles will be checked at Lakhanpur border and slips be pasted on the front of each vehicle in accordance with its destination, like the vehicles heading to Pahalgam will be issued a different slip, while the ones heading to Baltal will be given a separate slip," Singh added.

"Apart from pasting a slip on the windscreen of the vehicle we will also provide a slip to the driver, mentioning the registration details of the vehicle and license number, so that if in any case the slip at the front of the vehicle is lost the driver can ensure a hassle free journey by showing the other slip provided to him," he said.

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