Assam flood: Death toll reaches 21, situation improves
Guwahati, June 22: Three more persons died due to floods in two districts of Barak Valley in Assam, taking the death toll in the first wave of floods this year to 21, even as the overall flood situation improved in the state on Friday.
Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) officials said that three people died: one in Karimganj and two others in Cachar -- due to flood on Friday. A total of 3,69,402 people are reportedly reeling under flood in 449 villages of five flood hit districts.
"The flood situation has improved. While water has receded in some villages, there are many inmates of the relief camps who had left for their houses," said ASDMA officials.
It may be mentioned here that over 700 villages in the state have been submerged due to the floods in five districts of the state earlier this week.
"However, three persons died due to flood on Friday: one in Karimganj and two in Cachar," the officials said.
While the flood waters have receded in Nagaon district, Hojai, Dhemaji, Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi districts continue to be affected due to flood as on Friday.
Floods have severely affected three districts in Barak Valley.
As on Friday only 78 relief and shelter camps were functional with little over 30,000 people taking shelter while the rest of the people have left for their homes. None of the major rivers of the state are flowing above danger levels, the ASDMA officials said.
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SC directs President's secretary to place before her Beant assassination convict's mercy plea
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Monday directed President Droupadi Murmu's secretary to place before her the mercy petition of death row convict Balwant Singh Rajoana, convicted in the 1995 assassination case of then Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, for consideration.
A bench of Justices B R Gavai, P K Mishra and K V Viswanathan requested the President to consider the plea within two weeks.
"Inspite of the matter being specifically kept today none appeared for Union of India. The bench assembled only for this case," the bench said.
"On the last date the matter was adjourned to enable the Union to take instructions from the office of the President as to by when will mercy plea be decided. Taking into consideration that the petitioner is on a death row, we direct the secretary to the President of India to place the matter before the President with a request to consider the same within two weeks from today," the bench said.
The matter will now be heard on December 5.
On September 25, the top court had sought responses from the Centre, the Punjab government and the administration of the Union Territory of Chandigarh on Rajoana's plea.
The then Punjab chief minister and 16 others were killed in a blast at the entrance of the civil secretariat in Chandigarh on August 31, 1995.
A special court sentenced Rajoana to death in July 2007.
Rajoana has said that a mercy petition under Article 72 of the Constitution was moved by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on his behalf in March 2012.
On May 3 last year, the apex court had refused to commute his death sentence and said the competent authority could deal with his mercy plea.
