Himachal rains: One more body recovered from debris of Shiv temple in Shimla, death toll rises to 52
Shimla (PTI): With the recovery of one more body from a collapsed Shiv temple in Shimla on Tuesday, the total number of bodies recovered in the twin landslide sites at Summerhill and Fagli increased to 15 while more than 10 people are still feared buried under the debris, officials said.
The death toll in incidents such as landslides, cloudburst and house collapse due to heavy rains since Monday has increased to 52.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Army along with police and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) resumed rescue operations at Summerhill around 6 am and recovered one body, Deputy Commissioner of Shimla Aditya Negi told PTI.
In total 15 bodies have been recovered since Monday - 10 at the Shiv temple and five at Fagli. More than 10 people are feared buried at the Shiv temple site according to the local councilor but the number is not verified, he added.
The rescue operations were suspended on Monday night following heavy rainfall.
The shrine was crowded with devotees, offering prayers on an important day of the holy month of Sawan when the tragedy struck at around 7:15 am.
The Unesco world heritage Shimla-Kalka railway line was also damaged near Summer Hill here after a landslide swept away a 50-metre bridge, leaving a portion of the track hanging in the air.
The concrete bridge near Summer Hill, 6 km from Shimla, got completely
destroyed and the heritage track has suffered damage at five or six places and the most affected stretch is between Shimla and Shoghi, station master Joginder Singh said.
As many as 857 roads were blocked for vehicular traffic and 4,285 transformers and 889 water supply schemes are disrupted in 11 out of 12 districts in the state. Details of Kullu districts are still awaited.
So far, the state has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 7,171 crore since the onset of monsoon on June 24 till August 14, according to the state emergency operation centre.
A total of 170 incidents of cloudburst and landslide have been reported in the state this monsoon season and about 9,600 houses partially or completely damaged.
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Private bus operators in Karnataka to hike fares by 20-30 pc after fuel price rise
Bengaluru (PTI): In the wake of the hike in fuel prices, private bus operators have decided to increase fares by 20-30 per cent, depending on the route, effective from Friday midnight.
They have also called for government subsidies, a reduction in cess, and lower road taxes to improve the situation.
"The situation for bus owners in the state is already distressing due to high road tax and the impact of the Shakti scheme (free bus travel for women in government buses). On top of this, fuel prices have increased," Karnataka State Bus Owners’ Association President S Nataraj Sharma said.
"This will impose a burden of Rs 15,000 per vehicle per month on bus owners. If an owner has three buses, the burden will be Rs 45,000 to Rs 50,000 per month," he added.
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Speaking to reporters, he said the situation has made it inevitable for owners to increase fares by 20-30 per cent, depending on the route, under current conditions.
The increase may be roughly Rs 200 per seat, he added.
"For example, the current bus fare from Bengaluru to Belagavi is around Rs 1,000–Rs 1,200, which is likely to rise to Rs 1,350–Rs 1,400. Similarly, fares from Bengaluru to Mangaluru or Udupi currently range from Rs 900–Rs 1,000 and are expected to go up to Rs 1,100–Rs 1,200," he said.
Petrol and diesel prices were each hiked by Rs 3 per litre on Friday, the first rate increase in more than four years, amid mounting losses for fuel retailers due to surging global crude prices in the wake of the West Asia conflict.
The increase comes a couple of weeks after the Assembly elections concluded in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry.
