83 NDRF teams dispatched for flood relief, rescue in 4 states: MHA
New Delhi: As many as 83 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been dispatched to four flood-hit states of Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka and Gujarat for rescue and relief operations, the Home Ministry said on Friday.
The current flood situation in different parts of the country and the preparedness of central ministries and agencies to deal with it was reviewed at a high-level meeting chaired by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai.
The Director General of the NDRF apprised the meeting that 83 NDRF teams have been positioned with all necessary equipment in vulnerable areas of the four flood-affected states, a home ministry statement said.
These teams are in addition to the 173 teams of Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. An NDRF team comprises around 45 personnel.
During the last two days, Maharashtra, Kerala and Karnataka received extremely heavy downpour, the India Metrological Department (IMD) said.
In addition, Gujarat, West Madhya Pradesh and East Rajasthan are also expected to receive heavy rainfall till Saturday. The control rooms in the MHA, NDRF, IMD and Central Water Commission are keeping a close watch on the situation round the clock.
They have, thus far, evacuated over 82,000 people to safer places and rescued 2,325 people, the statement said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is continuously monitoring the situation and instructing officials concerned to take necessary actions, it said.
After the review, MoS Rai directed the senior officers to take every possible measure to deal with the situation arising out of the South-West Monsoon and to extend all necessary assistance to the flood-affected states.
The NDRF, Ministry of Defence and other agencies involved in the rescue and relief operations have assured that requests from concerned states are being fulfilled on a real-time basis, the statement said.
Some parts of the country are facing battering flood conditions.
Torrential rains pelted various parts of Kerala on Friday as the toll in rain-related incidents, including landslides, in the last three days mounted to 22 with over 22,000 people being shifted to relief centres, officials said.
In Maharashtra, over two lakh people have been evacuated to safer places due to the floods that have wreaked havoc in five districts - Sangli, Pune, Kolhapur, Solapur and Satara, officials have said.
On Thursday, at least nine people drowned after a boat engaged in rescue work overturned near the flooded Brahmanal village in Palus tehsil of Sangli.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
