3 dead as heavy rains lash Gujarat's Saurashtra region
Gandhinagar, July 14 : Friday, the 13th, turned out to be a nightmare for the usually dry Saurashtra region of Gujarat, as the rain gods lashed it with torrential downpours that claimed three lives.
During the last 10 hours, the region has received from 60 mm to more than 180 mm rainfall, particularly in the Junagadh district, the state emergency response centre said.
For the past 10 hours, heavy rains hit Kodinar taluka (tehsil/block) of Junagadh district with 180 mm downpour. Heavy downpour also took place in Maliya and Sutrapada talukas of Gir-Somnath district, with 175 mm and 166 mm of rains, respectively. Visavadar in Gir-Somnath received 96 mm of rains on Friday.
Other talukas like Bhesan and Mendarda of Junagadh district and Talala of Gir-Somnath district registered 85, 105 and 85 mm rainfall over the past 10 hours. Veraval in Gir-Somnath received 75 mm and Jamkandorna taluka in Rajkot district received 98 mm rains.
According to the Paschim Gujarat Vij Company Limited (PGVCL), power supply has been affected in 24 villages of these districts, besides Amreli, where supply has been cut off in five villages.
Shetrunji Dam in Saurashtra is overflowing with flood waters. The authorities have shut 154 roads of the state, including one national highway and four state highways.
Meanwhile, incessant rains continued in south Gujarat, with Waghai in Dang district receiving 60 mm, Mangrol in Surat 55 mm and Meghraj in Aravalli 52 mm rainfall.
The Met Department has predicted that torrential downpour will continue in Gujarat over the next two days, with heavy to very heavy rains in some regions.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
