63 airlifted, over 300 rescued by road in Himachal on day 3
Shimla, Sep 27 : Sixty-three people, including three German and 10 women Indian tourists with three children, were airlifted by the Indian Air Force (IAF) from Himachal Pradesh's snow-ravaged Lahaul valley on Thursday.
Besides, over 300 people were rescued by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) by road also, officials said. The total number of people rescued in the past three days rose to over 1,300, including 18 foreigners.
They were stranded at various locations in the Himalayas for the past five days with heavy snowfall in the region triggering massive landslides that blocked many roads in Lahaul-Spiti district.
With the weather clearing up, search and rescue operation began early for the third day.
"About 400-500 people are still awaiting evacuation. All stranded tourists have been provided food stuff and medical kits and would be evacuated in a day or two, mostly by road as snow clearing operation in Baralacha Pass area is in full swing," a government official told IANS.
A large number of people are reported to be stuck in Suraj Tal lake and Zingzing Bar areas along Keylong-Leh road.
Over 300 labourers of the BRO, a Ministry of Defence wing, involved in construction of roads in forward areas have also been stranded since September 22.
An IAF helicopter spotted 10 women tourists along with three children in Chhota Dara area towards the Kunzum Pass. All of them were rescued by the IAF rescuers led by Squadron Leader Vipul Goyal.
Their male companions were provided with relief material and they would be evacuated later, officials said.
Two Chetak helicopters were additionally deployed on Thursday along with three the IAF choppers to speed up the rescue in the Lahaul valley in the Himalayas. The rescue operation will continue on Friday, too, the official said.
A day earlier, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who called him on the phone, that the state has suffered losses totalling approximately Rs 1,250 crore due to the heavy rains.
Modi has assured the state of all possible central assistance.
Early snowfall in the higher reaches, cloudburst and heavy rains devastated large parts of the state from September 22 to 24.
Heavy snowfall on the Rohtang Pass (13,050 ft) has cut off the Lahaul and Spiti valleys affecting a large number of tourists and hampering water and electricity supply. They have been stranded at a number of isolated locations.
The BRO has been clearing the snow from various roads on a war footing. Some stretches had over eight feet of snow.
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K’taka bypolls: Cong accepts Minority dept chief’s resignation amid claims of ‘internal conspiracy’
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar on Sunday accepted the resignation of party Minority Department chairman K Abdul Jabbar and dissolved the committees constituted under him.
Jabbar announced his resignation on Saturday, a day after a group of Muslim leaders accused members of their own party of “conspiring” to defeat the official candidate in Davanagere South.
In his letter to the party, Jabbar said minority voters and office-bearers are the backbone of the Congress and deserve better.
Later, speaking to reporters, he expressed shock at the party office being used by some minority community leaders as a platform to attack senior leaders from the same community.
Jabbar, an MLC, was an aspirant for the Congress ticket from the Davanagere South Assembly segment.
“K Abdul Jabbar has tendered his resignation from the post of chairman, KPCC Minority Department. The resignation has been accepted, and he stands relieved of the post with immediate effect. Further, the KPCC Minority Department committee stands dissolved with immediate effect,” Shivakumar said in a statement.
A rift surfaced within the Karnataka Congress on Friday, a day after bypolls to two Assembly constituencies, as a group of Muslim leaders alleged an “internal conspiracy” by some senior party leaders to defeat the official candidate in Davanagere South, where the minority community has a significant presence.
They said the party had named Samarth Mallikarjun as the candidate after considering all factors and taking Muslim leaders into confidence. Despite this, a campaign—allegedly involving some within the party—projected the Congress as having “betrayed” minorities by denying them the ticket.
Chief Whip in the Legislative Council Saleem Ahmed, MLAs Rizwan Arshad and Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan, MLC Bilkis Bano and other leaders addressed a joint press conference on Friday, alleging an “internal conspiracy”.
Though the leaders did not name anyone, party sources said their remarks were directed at State Housing Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan, Jabbar, and MLC and Political Secretary to the Chief Minister Naseer Ahmed.
Khan, who had openly demanded the Davanagere South ticket for a Muslim candidate, initially stayed away from campaigning in the constituency, citing commitments related to the Kerala polls. However, he later addressed a press meet with Samarth’s father and Minister S S Mallikarjun at the request of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Jabbar, too, had not actively participated in campaigning, despite hailing from Davanagere.
Meanwhile, MLA Arshad said on Sunday that the party leadership was aware of those who allegedly tried to divide Congress votes and help the BJP. “But, thankfully, none of this has had any impact, and the Congress candidate will win,” he said.
He also alleged that Muslims lost the Davanagere South ticket because some senior minority leaders demanded it exclusively for Jabbar, rather than for any other eligible candidate from the community, despite Jabbar not being acceptable to all.
“Some leaders in the Congress think they are the only voice of the minority community and that there is no one else,” said Arshad, who represents the Shivajinagar constituency in Bengaluru.
Bypolls for Davanagere South and Bagalkot were held on Thursday. The elections were necessitated following the deaths of sitting MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti, respectively. Samarth is the grandson of Shivashankarappa.
Muslim disgruntlement appears to be a concern for the Congress in Davanagere South. With 14 of the 25 candidates in the fray belonging to the community, the party fears a split in votes that could benefit the BJP.
Given its significant presence in the constituency, the Muslim community had strongly demanded the Congress ticket. Some party factions had opposed giving it to the Shamanur family.
Although the Congress persuaded rebel candidate Sadiq Pailwan to withdraw, he remained in the fray as the move came after the deadline for withdrawal of nominations.
