Showing posts with label #India News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #India News. Show all posts
Monday, June 1, 2015
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Massive earthquake in Nepal; 918 killed
KATHMANDU: A powerful earthquake struck Nepal on Saturday, killing at least 918 people across a swath of four countries as the violently shaking earth collapsed houses, leveled centuries-old temples and triggered avalanches on Mt. Everest.
At least 876 people were confirmed dead in Nepal, according to the Nepal Home Ministry. Another 34 were killed in India, six in Tibet and two in Bangladesh. Two Chinese citizens died at the Nepal-China border. Given the scale of the destruction, the death toll is almost certain to rise, said Home Ministry official Laxmi Dhakal.
The quake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.8 struck before noon and was most severely felt in the capital as well as the densely populated Kathmandu Valley. A magnitude-6.6 aftershock hit about an hour later, and smaller aftershocks continued to ripple through the region for hours.
Dozens of people with injuries were being brought to the main hospital in central Kathmandu.
The earthquake also shook several cities across northern India, and was felt as far away as Lahore in Pakistan, Lhasa in Tibet, and in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Following the quake, Kathmandu’s international airport was shut down.
A senior mountaineering guide, Ang Tshering, said an avalanche swept the face of Mt. Everest after the earthquake, and government officials said at least 30 people were injured.
The quake’s epicenter was 80 kilometers northwest of Kathmandu, and it had a depth of only 11 kilometers, which is considered shallow in geological terms. The shallower the quake the more destructive power it carries, and witnesses said the trembling and swaying of the earth went on for several minutes.
As the quake began to intensify, residents ran out of homes and buildings in panic. Clouds of dust began to swirl around them. Large cracks opened up on streets and walls.
Several buildings collapsed in the center of the capital, the ancient Old Kathmandu, including centuries-old temples and towers, said resident Prachanda Sual.
Among them was the nine-storey Dharahara Tower, one of Kathmandu’s landmarks built by Nepal’s royal rulers as a watchtower in the 1800s and a UNESCO-recognized historical monument. It was reduced to rubble and there were reports of people trapped underneath.
Video footage showed people digging through the rubble of the bricks form the collapsed tower, looking for survivors.
In Kathmandu, dozens of people were gathered in the parking lot of Norvic International Hospital, where thin mattresses were spread on the ground for patients rushed outside, some wearing hospital pajamas. A woman with a bandage on her head sat in a set of chairs pulled from the hospital waiting room.
Doctors and nurses hooked up some patients to IV drops in the parking lot, or were giving people oxygen.
The U.S. Geological Survey revised the magnitude from 7.5 to 7.9 but then lowered it to 7.8. It said the quake hit at 11-56 a.m. local time (0611 GMT) at Lamjung. It was the largest shallow quake since the 8.2 temblor off the coast of Chile on April 1, 2014.
A magnitude 7 quake is capable of widespread and heavy damage while an 8 magnitude quake can cause tremendous damage.
Nepal suffered its worst recorded earthquake in 1934, which measured 8.0 and all but destroyed the cities of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan.
The sustained quake also was felt in India’s capital of New Delhi and several other cities.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif offered “all possible help” that Nepal may need.
With massive earthquake hitting Nepal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached out to his counterpart Sushil Koirala as well as President Ram Baran Yadav and assured all help in dealing with the “tough” situation.
“Spoke to PM Sushil Koirala, who is in transit in Bangkok on his way to Kathmandu. Assured all support & assistance during this tough time,” Mr. Modi tweeted.
Mr. Modi, who is personally monitoring the situation at home as well as in Nepal, spoke to Mr. Yadav first as Mr. Koirala was abroad and not reachable. Later, Mr. Modi talked to Mr. Koirala and assured him of “all assistance to deal with the situation arising due to the earthquake”, the PMO said.
The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson tweeted that an IAF c-130 Superhercules with NDRF relief team on board is airborne for Kathmandu and that more relief efforts were under way.
The Ministry of Defence spokersperson tweeted that two C-17 Globemaster III of IAF are being loaded with medical supplies at Hindon and sent to Kathmandu.
In the wake of the devastating earthquake in Nepal, a control room has been set up in Ministry of External Affairs to provide all help and information round the clock.
The numbers to the 24-hour Control Room are +91 11 2301 2113, +91 11 2301 4104 and +91 11 2301 7905, an official statement said.
Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh has expressed solidarity with Nepal, saying India stands by it in this hour of distress.
“Will be our endeavour to extend all support & assistance to those affected,” he tweeted.
Ambassador-designate of Nepal Deep Kumar Upadhyay said his country needs mobile medical assistant units from India, besides other help.
He thanked India for stepping in and offering help saying, “We have been in touch with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh. Our President is in touch with them and they have offered to help us. I thank India on behalf of Nepal for assisting us“.
Tremors were felt across eastern and northern parts of India, said J.L. Gautam, Head (Operations), Seismology, at the Indian Meteorological Department.
The tremors, which were felt in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab, lasted for a minute, triggering panic and forcing people to rush out of their houses and offices.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has cut short his visit to New Delhi to respond to the situation.
There were no immediate reports of loss of life or damage to property in Delhi. Read more
Officials said Metro train services in Delhi were also affected due to the earthquake.
The high-intensity also triggered landslides in various parts of Sikkim. A series of minor landslides have been reported from various places in the State, but there was no report of any loss of life so far. Read more
One person was reported dead in north Bengal, while strong tremors were felt in Kolkata and its suburbs on Saturday as a high intensity earthquake measuring 7.9 on Richter Scale with its epicentre in Nepal, rocked many parts of north and east India. Read more
Tremors were felt in some parts of Chennai city and the neighbouring union territory of Puducherry. In Chennai, tremors were felt in Kodambakkam and Guindy areas. “I felt slight tremors around noon,” S.Bhuvaneswari, a private sector employee in Guindly locality, told IANS. According to reports, some residents in Puducherry also felt the tremors.
Tremors were also felt in many parts of Gujarat following a powerful earthquake, with epicentre in Nepal, that shook large parts of east and north India. (source: HT)
PM Narendra Modi travels in Delhi Metro
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday travelled in the Delhi Metro. Modi travelled from Dhaula Kuan to Dwarka and shared a picture on social networking site Twitter.
"Really enjoyed the ride. Thanks Delhi Metro. Thanks Sreedharan ji!," tweeted the prime minister .
In another tweet, Modi said: "Sreedharan ji would always tell me to experience the Delhi Metro. Today, I had the opportunity to do so on the way to Dwarka."
Former Delhi metro chief E. Sreedharan is popularly known as the "Metro Man".
West Bengal civic polls: One dead in violence, 60 percent votes polled
Kolkata: One person was shot dead and another received bullet injuries in West Bengal during polling for 91 civic bodies on Saturday. The voter turnout at the close of polling was 60 percent, an official said.
While one person, Indrajit Singh said to be a Trinamool Congress activist, was shot dead at Katwa in Burdwan, another suffered bullet injuries in North 24 Parganas district.
"He (Singh) was shot dead by unidentified miscreants. We have sought a report on the incident," Burdwan district magistrate Saumitra Mohan said. Trinamool leaders have pointed fingers at Congress activists over Singh`s killing.
Polling in several districts across north and south Bengal was temporarily suspended after tremors, lasting over a minute, were felt following a 7.9 magnitude earthquake that hit Nepal on Saturday.
The tremors led to temporary suspension of polling in many booths in the districts of Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, North Dinajpur, Murshidabad and Howrah.
"At 3 p.m., the scheduled close of voting, about 60 percent turnout was recorded. It is likely to go up as there are many voters still queuing up to cast their vote," said officer on special duty (OSD), state election commission, Sabyasachi Ghosh.
"While the tremors created panic among the voters for a brief period, several elderly voters had to be given medical attention after feeling uncomfortable and dizzy," said the official.
In North 24 Parganas` Titagarh, a voter was allegedly shot in the leg while Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Govind Pal alleged that Trinamool miscreants fired at him but he escaped unhurt.
There were also reports of crude bombs being hurled at several places across North 24 Parganas, Burdwan and Bankura districts resulting in injuries to several people. Several crude bombs were recovered by police in Sonamukhi town in Bankura district.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Darjeeling S.S. Ahluwalia alleged that several party candidates contesting the Siliguri Municipality polls, and activists were assaulted by Trinamool goons.
"Since midnight, our people have come under intense attack by Trinamool goons. Our candidates have been beaten up, party activists and polling agent been assaulted. There is a reign of terror unleashed by Trinamool," said Ahluwalia.
CPI-M leader Sujan Chakraborty charged the ruling Trinamool with turning the polls into a `farce` yet again like the April 18 Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) polls.
"After the KMC polls, the Trinamool again turned these polls into a farce. There has been large scale violence, booth capturing and voter intimidation," said Chakraborty.
Trinamool secretary-general Partha Chatterjee has rubbished the opposition`s charges and said the polls were peaceful.
There are 7,636 candidates contesting for 1,946 wards of the 91 municipal bodies -- one Notified Area, two Municipal Corporations (Siliguri and Chandannagar) and 88 municipalities -- spread across north and south Bengal. The results will be declared on April 28. (Source: Zee News)
Test for Rahul's leadership, resolving party tangle in Punjab
New Delhi: There's a spectacular dimension of politics: smart one-liners, leading the charge in Parliament, impromptu interventions in debates. It can turn a neta into a brand. Fetch him followers on twitter. Make him a favourite of television impresarios.
Rahul Gandhi seems to be getting there. The sabbatical has done him good. Or so it appears. Pundits adept at political ratings have given a thumbs up to his rapid jibes at the NDA regime--on the land
issue, net neutrality and Barack Obama's praise of Narendra Modi. Tongue firmly in cheek, he compared the US President's appreciation of the PM with Ronald Reagan's encomia for Mikhail Gorbachev (who presided over the disintegration of the Soviet Union in the 1980s).
It might be a tad early to adduce encouraging leitmotifs to Rahul's actions and statements. His strategy apparently is to flag issues agitating people in the countryside and cities to aggregate agrarian distress with rising urban disenchantment against the NDA. A proof of that is his seemingly studied silence on the Sangh Parivar's ghar wapsi, attacks on churches and the fears of minorities.
In substantive terms, however, celebrations would be presumptive till Rahul proves his organisational skills, his ability to take everybody along amid discordance that comes with power shifts. An electoral victory in his stewardship alone would settle the leadership question. Nothing less would do.
That brings one to the Congress's pitiable state in Punjab where it stands a good chance of winning the January 2017 polls. Regardless of his elusive ways, there's a broad consensus in the party that Capt. Amarinder Singh is its best bet in the province - where the Akali-BJP regime is hugely unpopular and the Aam Aadmi Party in a shambles after an impressive debut in the 2014 polls.
The sooner the Congress vice-president resolves the Punjab tangle the better.
Factional leaders might have carried tales against Singh for his remarks advocating Sonia Gandhi's continuation at the helm. But the reality that should show Rahul the way is the former CM's overwhelming support in the party's state unit and its legislative wing. Overlooking his claims could amount to risking desertions to AAP and the BJP.
"The captain is our beacon of hope," admitted a sitting MLA not counted among Singh's camp followers. He nevertheless insisted that with Singh as the spearhead, the party must present a leadership mix acceptable to Dalits and Hindus besides the Jat Sikhs.
The central leadership might stitch up the required social combination in organisational changes before the polls. No final decision has been taken. But Singh has the offer of chairmanship of the campaign committee with the promise of a role in ticket distribution. Going by insider accounts, he'd have a say in the appointment of the new state unit chief and legislature party leader.
"We want Singh to be the Congress's willing face in the elections," noted a central office bearer, alluding to his preference for the post of PCC president. It's precisely for this reason that an early decision is imperative on the proposed changes. Or else incessant brinkmanship by rival groups, including the one led by the sitting PCC chief, could widen internal fissures beyond repair.
Rahul would have done his bit if he makes party men sink differences to accept Singh's captaincy. Amarinder for his part has to show statesmanship to rise above groupism in the poll battle that'll be his swan song as the party's tallest leader in the state. He's 73 now and will be 75 in 2017. (Source: HT)