IIT-Roorkee students among 249 rescued; over 300 still stranded
Shimla, Sep 25 : A group of 40-45 students of IIT-Roorkee, five residents of Kolkata and two German trekkers were among 249 persons rescued on Tuesday from the icy heights of Himachal Pradesh in a joint operation by the district administration and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), officials said.
Over 300 people are still stuck, sources said.
A majority of the rescued are stranded in Sissu in the Lahaul Valley as landslides triggered by heavy snow damaged the road links to Manali, official sources said.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) will start airlifting the stranded people, comprising locals and tourists, believed to be around 300, on Wednesday morning. They will be brought to Manali and Kullu towns.
They have been stranded for the past two-three days at various locations in and around district headquarters Keylong after the onset of heavy snow that hampered road links. All are safe and have been provided accommodation and eatables, officials said.
"Nearly 45 students of IIT-Roorkee were taken to an Army base camp at Sissu from where they were brought to Manali via Rohtang tunnel," an official told IANS over phone from Manali.
He said most of the stranded people were brought to Keylong, some 121 km from Manali, and from there would be either airlifted by the IAF or brought to Manali by road on Wednesday.
"The priority in airlifting will be given to old, sick and women," he added.
A government spokesperson here advised tourists not to venture into remote areas of the state as chances of snow were still high.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur visited Kullu town to take stock of the rehabilitation and rescue operations being undertaken by the state government.
He also took an aerial survey of the Lahaul Valley up to Chandertal to access the damage caused by untimely snow.
Thakur said the state has suffered a loss of over Rs 1,230 crore in the last four days. He said the state has urged the Union government to provide liberal assistance to the state.
The Chief Minister said he spoke to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitaraman regarding the natural calamity.
He said three IAF helicopters have been provided to evacuate the tourists.
Earlier, an official statement said 200 people have been stranded at Koksar and about 300 in Baralacha Pass.
Traffic to picturesque Himachal tourist resort Manali was restored partially on Tuesday, a day after all major road links snapped after landslides triggered by heavy rains, officials said.
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Siddaramaiah and I have come to understanding, we will abide by it: Shivakumar
Karwar (Karnataka) (PTI): Not willing to make any direct statement on whether there will be a chief minister change in the state, Karnataka Deputy CM D K Shivakumar on Friday said that he and CM Siddaramaiah have come to an agreement with the involvement of the Congress high command, and both of them will abide by it.
Stating that Siddaramaiah is CM as per the high command's decision, he clarified that he has never made any comments on the former's tenure.
Siddaramaiah, earlier in the day, had affirmed that he would remain in office for his full five-year term, expressing confidence in the Congress high command's support.
During a discussion in the Assembly on the issues pertaining to North Karnataka's development, Siddaramaiah also said he never mentioned that he was the chief minister for only two-and-a-half years.
"I had never said, he (Siddaramaiah) will not be there (as CM) for five years. I have never said that the high command is not with him. As the high command is with him, he is chief minister today," Shivakumar told reporters here.
Noting that Siddaramaiah is in the post of CM as per the decision of the party, he said, "Both of us have come to an agreement, the high command has got us to an understanding, as per that both of us have discussed and have said several times that we will abide by it and go ahead."
Shivakumar, however, chose not to answer a question, whether there will be a change in the chief minister post or not.
To a question on talks about CM change, he said, "It is you (media) who is talking about it, there is no discussion among us. We will abide by what the party says."
The Deputy CM was on a visit to various temples in the Uttara Kannada district on Friday.
To a question linking his visit to the goddess Jagadeeshwari temple in Uttara Kannada district's Ankola, to his chief ministerial ambitions, Shivakumar said, "I don't want to talk about it, it is between me and the mother goddess. It is between the devotee and the deity. What I have prayed to the goddess and what she told me is between us."
He said, five years ago he had come to the temple regarding some issue concerning his family and his wish was fulfilled. "So I'm visiting the temple as a mark of gratitude and to seek blessings for me, the state and the people who believe in me. I'm going back happily."
