Pak shells 17 BoPs, border hamlets in Jammu, three injured

Three civilians were injured as Pakistani troops opened fire and shelled 17 border out posts and hamlets along the International Border in Jammu and Samba districts overnight, resulting in heavy exchanges till the wee hours today.

A total of 11 civilians have been injured in the Pakistani firing since yesterday, police officials said.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and PHE and Irrigation Minister Sham Lal Sharma met the border dwellers injured in the Pakistani shelling at GMC Hospital here this morning.

BSF officials said, "There was shelling of mortar bombs, rockets and firing by automatic weapons on 16 BoPs and civilians areas of Ramgarh, Arnia, R S Pura and Akhnoor sub-sectors of Samba and Jammu districts since last night".

Pakistani troops also shelled border out posts in Hiranagar sector.

BSF troops guarding the borderline retaliated, resulting in heavy exchanges, which continued till 0400 hours today, the officials said.

Two more civilians identified as Raj Kumar of Garkhal village in Aknoor belt and Sunny Baba of Pindi Charaka in Arnia belt, were injured in the shelling, police officials said, adding with this the number of injured in shelling and firing has gone upto to 11.

In view of the shelling, over 250 villagers have fled their homes in Sidhar in Garkhal belt. Villagers of SM Pura and Jaso chak have also shifted to Avaat village in view of the intense shelling.

The village head of Garkhal village Kali Dass demanded that the Government give a befitting reply to Pakistan.

"Government of India and BSF have failed to give them a strong reply. Give Pakistan a strong reply", the village head told reporters at GMC Hospital here.

Sharma, who is Legislator from Akhnoor border Assembly segment, told reporters, "It is human right violation and also violation of Geneva convention. They are directly hitting villages and civilians. It is very unfortunate".

"The situation is tense.There are two ways --either give a befitting reply and if that cannot be done, hold talks to end the suffering of the people", he said.

A report from Visakhapatnam said two women were feared to have been washed away following heavy rains in the city for the past four days.

Also, roads in many parts of the city have borne the brunt of the heavy rainfall.

While a 70-year-old woman, a resident of MVP colony, was feared to have been swept in a drain in the city, another woman from M Koduru village of Madugula mandal was washed away in Tacheru canal.

Visakhapatnam District Collector Solomon Arokiaraj said the two women remained untraceable so far.

Several roads in Akkayyapalem Dwarankangar, Chin Waltar, Peda Waltair, Seethammadhara, Seetampeta, Muralingar, Madhavadhara, Kancharapalem and Jnanapuram have been badly damaged causing traffic problems.

The incessant rains have left several parts of Kobbarithota, Prasad Garden, Poorna Market, Velampeta, Railway New colony and old town area waterlogged.

Visakhapatnam district received 52.9 mm of rainfall against the normal of 5.8 mm, Bheemunipatnam got 122.2 mm rains, Visakhapatnam city 101.4 mm and Anakapalli 86.4 mm in the last 24 hours, sources said.

Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation Commissioner M V Satyanarayana in a statement said that the loss to various properties of the civic body owing to rains during the last four days has been estimated at around Rs 15 crores, of which road damage alone accounts for Rs 8-9 crores.

He said a total of 108 families, including 66 from Ekalavya colony, in the downstream of Meghadrigedda reservoir had been evacuated to Kalyananmantapam.

According to railway sources, some trains have been cancelled, some short terminated and others diverted due to incessant rains, flooding and inundation of certain areas including the railway tracks.