Cloudburst in Himachal village; several vehicles buried in debris, farms damaged
Shimla (PTI): Several vehicles were buried under debris, and farms were damaged due to a cloudburst in Himachal Pradesh's Bilaspur district in the wee hours of Saturday. However, no casualty was reported, officials said.
The cloudburst occurred in Gutrahan village in the Namhol area of Naina Devi assembly constituency.
Gushing waters carrying debris scattered all over agricultural lands, said Kashmir Singh, gushing waters along with debris swept away agricultural lands, said Kashmir Singh, a villager.
Many vehicles were buried in the debris.
Meanwhile, fog engulfed the state capital Shimla on Saturday morning, reducing visibility to about a few metres and people commuting in vehicles faced inconvenience during school time. The local Met office has issued a yellow warning of heavy rains in isolated parts of the state on Saturday and Sunday.
A total of 503 roads, including Attari-Leh road (National Highway-3), Aut-Sainj road (NH-305) and Amritsar-Bhota road (NH-503A), were closed for traffic in the state on Friday evening.
About 953 power transformers and 336 water supply schemes have been disrupted in the state due to the recent floods and landslides, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).
A total of 386 people have died in rain-related incidents and road accidents since the onset of the monsoon over the state on June 20 till September 12. Out of the 386 people, 218 died in rain-related incidents, while 168 were killed in road accidents.
So far, the state has suffered a loss of Rs 4,465 crore, the officials said.
Himachal Pradesh received an average rainfall of 967.2 mm from June 1 to September 12 against the normal of 678.4 mm, an excess of 43 per cent, according to the meteorological data.
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Siddaramaiah, I will abide by Cong high command decision on leadership issue, says Shivakumar
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday said both he and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will abide by any decision takeb by the Congress high command on the leadership issue in the state.
Speaking to reporters after returning from Delhi, the Congress state president said, he has full faith in the party leadership and that it would take an approapriate decision at the appropriate time.
The remarks comes amid speculations within the party and political circles about a possible leadership change and cabinet reshuffle after May 4, when the results for assembly elections in four states and one union territory, along with bypolls to two assembly segments in the Karnataka are announced.
"I will not speak about political issues before the media. I have already said that when the time comes you will get to know. So I will not tell you," Shivakumar said in response to a question on discussions with the Congress high command during his Delhi visit over the last couple of days.
He asserted that there are no issues within the party, and whatever has been already decided will take place accordingly.
Responding to a question on senior Minister Satish Jarkiholi's reported statement about internal differences, the Deputy CM said, "nothing like that, they (high command) will do what they have to do at the appropriate time."
"There are no issues, we have faith in our party, they will do what they have to," he added.
Asked about the issue of leadership change as the government is about to complete three years in office, Shivakumar said, "... I have never discussed this issue. The CM and I have both said that we will accept whatever and whenever the high command decides, and we will abide by it."
He declined to comment when asked whether any "good news" can be expected by his birthday on May 15.
The leadership tussle within the ruling party has intensified amid speculation about a possible change of chief minister after the Congress government completed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, 2025. The speculation has been fuelled by the reported "power-sharing" arrangement between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar at the time of government formation in 2023.
Responding to a question on the BJP's criticism against the Congress government over its decision on internal reservation for Scheduled Castes, alleging injustice to several communities and questioning its intent behind the revised quota formula, Shivakumar said the BJP could not do anything on internal reservation while in power, but the Congress has kept its promise.
"We have found a solution and tried to do justice to all sections among SCs. We have fulfilled the promise made and every one should go together," he said.
Shivakumar warned his party workers against erecting flex banners for his birthday on May 15.
"For May 15, I want to tell everyone that no one should put up flex banners or advertisements for my birthday. If flex are installed I will ensure that cases are registered by authorities against those responsible, whether they are party workers or followers....no one should put such things on roads, this is my personal request," he said, adding that he has asked commissioners of the city corporations to register cases and impose heavy fines.
