Yatra to Kedarnath, Yamunotri, Gangotri resumes
Pilgrimage to the Himalayan temples of Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri resumed on Wednesday with the weather clearing up across Uttarakhand.
The pilgrimage to Badrinath, however, could not resume as the Pipalkoti-Joshinath-Badrinath stretch of the national highway remained blocked at several places due to a landslides, Chardham Devasthanam Board Media incharge Harish Gaud said.
As the weather improved, pilgrims waiting at different stopovers on way to Kedarnath began reaching Sonprayag to visit the temple. Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari was also among 4,475 devotees who visited Kedarnath on Wednesday.
Haryana, Himachal CMs assure Uttarakhand of all possible help
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Wednesday announced acfinancial assistance of Rs 5 crore for Uttarakhand which has been badly hit by rains.Khattar spoke to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami over the phone and assured him of all possible help from the state. He said that the entire Haryana stands with the people of Uttarakhand in this difficult hour. Apart from financial assistance, relief material including tents, ration kits, clothes and medicines will also be sent by the Haryana government.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur also had a telephonic conversation with his counterpart Pushkar Singh Dhami and assured him of all possible help from the state.
3 killed in house collapse incidents; hundreds stuck after torrential rains in Bareilly, Pilibhit
Three people were killed and hundreds were marooned as torrential rains lashed Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly and Pilibhit districts over the last two days, officials said on Wednesday.
The Sharda and Deoha rivers are in spate due to heavy rainfall and many villages situated on their banks have been flooded.
Around 500 villagers in Pilibhit are trapped in the flood water of the Sharda river.
On Tuesday night, the Pilibhit district administration sought the help of the Army for rescue operations and 26 people have been airlifted to safer places since Wednesday morning. (PTI)
Dalai Lama expresses concern over deaths due to rainfall in Uttarakhand
The Dalai Lama on Wednesday wrote to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressing his deep sadness about the loss of lives and the hardship caused to many people following heavy rainfall in the hill state.
Forty-six people have died and at least 11 remain missing due to rains that battered Uttarakhand for over two days since Sunday night and some are still feared buried under the debris of collapsed houses in its aftermath. (PTI)
Naqvi reaches out to people in Rampur's flood-affected areas, distributes relief material
Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Wednesday visited the flood-affected areas in Uttar Pradesh's Rampur and distributed relief material among the people.
Instead of an aerial survey, Naqvi undertook a ground survey and even got on a boat to reach far-flung areas inundated due to the massive rains that have wreaked havoc in adjoining Uttarakhand. (PTI)
Uttarakhand struggles with rain aftermath: 46 people dead, 11 still missing
Eleven people remained missing, boulders blocked roads and many villages went without electricity as authorities took stock Wednesday of the aftermath of the rains that battered Uttarakhand for over two days.
Forty-six people have died due to the rains since Sunday night and some are still feared buried under the debris of collapsed houses.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said it has rescued over 1,300 people from flood-affected areas of Uttarakhand. The federal force has deployed 17 rescue teams in the state.
"So far, NDRF rescuers have evacuated more than 1,300 stranded people from Udham Singh Nagar and Nanital. They are also distributing relief material in flood-affected areas of Uttarakhand," a spokesperson said.
Eleven people on trek to Chitkul go missing
Eight trekkers and three cooks accompanying them on a trek to Chitkul in the neighbouring Himachal Pradesh have gone missing, officials said on Wednesday.
The team of eleven people was on a trek to Chitkul via Harsil in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, District Disaster Management Officer Devendra Patwal said.
Comprising seven tourists from Kolkata and one from Delhi, the team had left Harsil for Chitkul on October 11 and was supposed to reach there on October 19.
31 killed, 43 missing in rain related incidents in Nepal: reports
At least 31 people were killed while 43 others are missing as incessant rain and landslides since last week has caused havoc in many parts of Nepal, media reports said on Wednesday.
Nepal's Disaster Management Division said that rain related incidents have also injured 22 people in various parts of the country, My Republica website reported.
"Till now the rain and incidents related to it have taken the lives of 31 people. Seven people were killed in Ilam, six in Panchthar, seven in Doti, six in Dhankuta, three in Sunsari, and one each in Kalikot and Dadeldhura," Humkala Pandey, the chief of the Disaster Management Authority, told reporters here.
Heavy rainfall, landslides, cuts off highway linking Gangtok, flooding in low lying North Bengal areas
Torrential rains pounded the tiny Himalayan state of Sikkim and the tea growing region of North Bengal, causing landslides which cut off National Highway-10, the main road linking Gangtok with the rest of the country. Normal life in parts of the tea growing north Bengal was also affected on Wednesday as torrential showers in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Jalpaiguri districts triggered landslides causing damages to roads and bridges, halting or constricting traffic in various places, officials said. (PTI)
Delhi govt to pay Rs 50,000 per hectare compensation to farmers for crop damage
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday announced a compensation of Rs 50,000 per hectare to farmers whose crops have been damaged due to unseasonal rains.
Speaking at a press briefing, he noted that revenue officials are conducting a survey of the damaged crops and it will be completed within two weeks.
“The compensation at the rate of Rs 50,000 per hectare will be provided to the farmers afterwards in around two months,” he said.
The CM underlined that the Delhi government is committed to helping the farmers and that it also paid compensation to them in the past at Rs 50,000 per hectare which is the highest in the country. (PTI)
Rains: IMD withdraws Orange alert in 11 Kerala districts
The India Meteorological Department (IMD), which had sounded an orange alert (heavy to very heavy rain) for 11 districts of the state during Wednesday withdrew it and changed it to yellow predicting 'moderate rain' in these areas during the day. The IMD has also withdrawn the orange alert it issued for nine districts during October 21. However, it has predicted heavy to very heavy rain in Idukki, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts tomorrow.
Kerala Assembly pays homage to flood victims; death toll 39, says CM
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said a total of 39 people had lost their lives and 217 houses had been destroyed completely in the devastating landslides and flash floods that had occurred in the south-central districts of the state recently.
Relief to Kerala as IMD scales down rough weather alert
In a relief to Kerala, the Indian Meteorological Department has scaled down the rough weather alert sounded across the state for Wednesday and Thursday.
Ham radios come to the rescue in rain-hit Kerala
Even as the incessantrainsand resultant flooding disrupted lives across central Kerala, ham radio enthusiasts have quietly swung into action in Thrissur district, setting up their unique work stations to ensure a steady stream of communication in case nature's fury wreaked havoc on conventional systems of contact.
The district administration here has sought the service of Ham radio operators to coordinate disaster relief operations in case the communication system gets cut off due to anyrain-related incident. (PTI)
SDRF, NDRF teams evacuate 25 people in Uttarakhand's Nainital district
NDRF teams evacuate 40 stranded people in Bengal's Jalpaiguri district as heavy rains lash state
River Teesta crosses highest flood level at Mekhliganj reservoir
Uttarakhand: Building collapse reported in Ramgarh
Uttarakhand CM visits rain-affected Udham Singh Nagar, meets locals
'Not just a concrete structure...': Untold stories of misery from Kerala
A concrete house on a riverbank plunging into the gushing waters is just one of the viral, heart-wrenching scenes from Kerala, decimated by landslides and floods this week.
Amit Shah to visit Uttarakhand today, take stock of situation
Union Home Minister Amit Shah to visit Uttarakhand today evening. He will hold review meetings and take stock of the situation. He will conduct an aerial survey in Uttarakhand tomorrow. (ANI)
15 NDRF teams deployed in Uttarakhand, rescue ops on as heavy rains continue to lash state
NDRF team deployed in Haridwar to handle emergency situations
More rain in store for Odisha and Bengal; rivers in spate, landslide warning issued
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday forecast more rainfall for Odisha and West Bengal, the two neighbouring states that have already been pounded by low pressure area-induced heavy showers over the past three days, throwing life out of gear in places.
Uttarakhand govt to give Rs 4 lakh to kin of those killed in rain-related incidents
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami met people affected by heavy rainfall in Kumaon and Garhwal regions of the state on Tuesday and announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the next of kin of those who had lost their lives in the disaster.
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