Himachal: Toll in Mandi cloudbursts rises to 11, search on for 34 missing people
Shimla, Jul 2 (PTI): The death toll in cloudbursts and flash flood-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi district has risen to 11 with the recovery of six more bodies, while the search for 34 missing people was underway, officials said on Wednesday.
The search operation might get hampered with the weather department issuing a warning of low to moderate flash-flood risk in parts of Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi and Shimla districts on Thursday.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who visited the disaster-hit Syathi village in Dharampur, announced a special relief package to assist in rebuilding damaged homes.
Additionally, enhanced compensation will be provided for lost livestock and destroyed cow shelters.
The state witnessed 11 cloudburst incidents, four flash floods and a major landslide on Tuesday, most of which occurred in the Mandi district. Cloudbursts were recorded at four locations in Gohar, three in Karsog, two in Dharampur, and one in Thunag.
Officials on Wednesday said two bodies were recovered from Siyanj village in Gohar, and one each in Thunag, Dhar Jarol, and Pandeev Sheel areas, while another body was found at Neri-Kotla in Jogindernagar.
On Tuesday, two deaths were recorded in Bada and one in Talwara, both in Gohar; one person died in Old Bazaar, Karsog; and another body was recovered at Neri-Kotla in Jogindernagar.
A total of 245 roads were closed in the state following heavy rains, and 918 transformers were disrupted.
Most of the damage was caused in Mandi, where 151 roads were blocked for vehicular movement and 489 transformers and 465 water schemes were affected as of Wednesday evening, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).
Additionally, 148 houses, 104 cattle sheds, 31 vehicles, 14 bridges and several roads were damaged. A total of 162 cattle perished in the calamities, while 370 people, including 316 in Mandi, were rescued, the SEOC said.
Eleven people still remain stranded, it added.
Sukhu, who inspected the damage caused to the Mandi-Kotli road, assured locals that if any government land is available nearby, it will be allotted to those who lost their homes. "In case the land falls under forests, the matter will be taken up with the Union Government," he added.
Distraught locals recounted their narrow escape after an entire village was swept away suddenly. They also informed the chief minister that they did not even have land left to pitch tents for shelter.
Later, Sukhu conducted an aerial survey of the disaster-affected areas of Thunag and Janjehli in the Mandi district and distributed relief material to the affected people at the Rain-Gallu helipad in Thunag.
Expressing shock at such an incident had never occurred before, even when eight to 10 cloudbursts happened in a night, the chief minister called for an in-depth study to ascertain the reasons for landslides even at places having solid strata.
Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur, who also visited the affected area in his assembly constituency of Seraj, warned that the number of missing people could increase due to disrupted connectivity in the region.
He also called for rations to be air-dropped in areas where roads have been damaged.
The Jal Shakti Department reported damage to 3,698 schemes, including 2,786 drinking water supply schemes, 733 irrigation schemes, and 41 sewerage schemes.
The estimated damage has surpassed Rs 240 crore, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, who also holds the Jal Shakti portfolio, said.
He noted that restoration efforts are being conducted on a war footing, prioritising the resumption of drinking water and sewerage services.
The deputy chief minister said that 1,591 drinking water supply schemes have already been temporarily restored.
Two teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), alongside police and home guards, are actively engaged in search and rescue operations in the district.
Light to moderate rain continued in several regions of the state.
Kasauli received 55 mm of rain since Tuesday evening, followed by Baggi 54.8 mm, Dharampur 38.8 mm, Mandi 36.8 mm, Sarahan 32 mm, Solan 27.4 mm, Pandoh 27 mm, Jubbarhatti 26.2 mm, and Shimla 24.2 mm.
The meteorological office has issued an orange alert, warning of heavy to very heavy rains in isolated areas across the state from Friday to Sunday.
Narkanda was the coldest at night with a low of 13.4 degrees Celsius, while Una saw a significant rise in maximum temperature, reaching 36.2 degrees Celsius.
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Parag fined 25 percent of match fees for vaping incident, BCCI exploring 'stringent action' on RR
New Delhi (PTI): Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag was on Thursday fined 25 per cent of his match fee for bringing the game into "disrepute" after being caught vaping on camera during the IPL game against Punjab Kings in Mullanpur.
Parag's actions during the Royals' chase on Tuesday night drew condemnation on social media.
PTI has learned that on field umpires Tanmay Srivastava and Nitin Menon had not reported the matter to match referee Amit Sharma right after the game. They only did that after seeing visual proof and Sharma found Parag guilty for a code of conduct breach as per the IPL guidelines.
The Level 1 offence carries 25 per cent deduction from match fees and one demerit point.
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"Riyan admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction imposed by the Match Referee, Amit Sharma," said the IPL in a statement.
"The BCCI is also exploring other options to initiate proceedings for stringent action against the erring team, its officials and players to ensure that the reputation of IPL remains intact," the statement added.
When PTI reached out to BCCI secretary Devajit Saika on possible action on Rajasthan Royals, he said: "As it is written clearly in the statement, we are exploring what action to take on the team. It is not decided yet."
The Indian government had banned e-cigarettes back in 2019, prohibiting their production, sale and distribution. As per the law, the offender faces imprisonment up to one year and/or a Rs one lakh fine for a first time offence.
"Article 2.21 of IPL Code of Conduct is intended to cover all types of conduct that bring the game into disrepute and which is not specifically and adequately covered by the specific offences set out elsewhere in this Code of Conduct, including Article 2.20," the IPL Code of Conduct states.
"By way of example, Article 2.21 may (depending upon the seriousness and context of the breach) prohibit, without limitation, the following: (a) public acts of misconduct; (b) unruly public behaviour; and (c) inappropriate comments which are detrimental to the interests of the game.
"When assessing the seriousness of the offence, the context of the particular situation, and whether it was deliberate, reckless, negligent, avoidable and/or accidental, shall be considered.
"Further, the person lodging the Report shall determine where on the range of severity the conduct lays (with the range of severity starting at conduct of a minor nature (and hence a Level 1 Offence) up to conduct of an extremely serious nature (and hence a Level 4 Offence)."
Since it is a Level 1 offence there was no need for a hearing.
Parag, who has not had the best of times with the bat this IPL, was seen inhaling an e-cigarette, also known as vaping, in the dressing room during the live broadcast of their game against Punjab Kings. Royals won the game to end Kings' unbeaten run in the tournament.
This is not the first controversy to hit the Royals this season. Earlier this month, team manager Romi Bhinder was fined Rs one lakh for breaching PMOA protocol after being found using his phone in the dugout.
IPL and BCCI officials involved in the conduct of the IPL termed it as a careless act in the age of social media and prying TV cameras.
Royals next host Delhi Capitals in Jaipur on Friday night.
