Incessant rains lash Kerala; 'Red Alert' in 5 districts
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Heavy rains lashed Kerala, especially the south and central regions on Saturday, causing water-logging in several areas and leaving many rivers in spate, as the weathermen sounded 'red alert' predicting extremely heavy rainfall in five districts of the state.
According to the latest update of the Indian Meteorological Department, the 'Red Alert' was sounded for Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, and Thrissur districts.
An orange alert, warning of very heavy rainfall was issued for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Wayanad districts.
"Under the influence of the Low pressure area over Southeast Arabian Sea off Kerala coast, Kerala is expected to receive isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall with isolated extremely heavy falls till the morning of October 17. Isolated heavy rainfall is expected on 18th and further reduction in rainfall from 19th morning," an IMD statement said here.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the India Meteorological Department has warned of widespread heavy rains in the state due to the Low Pressure area formed over the Arabian Sea.
Appealing to the people of the state to keep extra vigil in the next 24 hour, he said in a Facebook post that the rains already hit the south and central districts and it would intensify in the northern districts also by the evening as per the weather forecast.
The water level in some rivers is expected to rise and shutters of certain dams are likely to be opened, he said adding that those living in its catchment areas should be ready to follow the instructions of authorities.
Meanwhile, two children had a miraculous escape after a portion of the wall of their house collapsed in incessant rains on Friday night at Chempakamangalam in the capital district where rains has been battering the city and rural areas alike since last night.
The wall collapsed on the bed, where the children were asleep, but they escaped with minor injuries, family sources said.
District Collector Navjot Khosa advised people to avoid visiting tourist places and going near rivers and other water bodies in view of heavy rains in Thiruvananthapuram.
Four shutters of Neyyar Dam here were raised by a total of 240 cm in view of the rising water level, the authorities said adding that the shutters of Aruvikkara Dam would be raised to 350 cm from the present 310 cm in the afternoon.
Destruction of roads was reported in many places including in Kollam and Kottayam districts while severe waterlogging made life miserable in Kuttanad region, popularly known as the 'rice bowl' of the state spread in Alappuzha and Kottayam districts.
Intermittent downpour lashed high range areas in Kottayam and the hill district Idukki.
The Thrissur district administration urged people living in low-lying and other disaster prone areas and on the banks of rivers to move to safer places as per the instructions received from the authorities.
Fishing boats are prohibited from venturing into the sea, they added.
Revenue Minister K Rajan called a meeting of district collectors via online this afternoon to coordinate with the disaster management programmes and take stock of the damage caused by the rains across the state.
Health Minister Veena George convened a virtual meeting of MLAs at the collectorate in Pathanamthitta, the district which had witnessed widespread destruction during the massive floods in 2018.
The water level is rising steadily in many rivers including Meenachal and Manimala.
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HC questions Delhi govt over failure to regulate sale of old vehicles, refers to Red Fort blast
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi High Court questioned the city government on Wednesday over its failure to regulate the sale and transfer of used vehicles, while pointing out that in a recent bomb blast near the Red Fort, a second-hand car was used, making the issue more significant.
A bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela asked the Delhi government to file a detailed response on the issue of regulating authorised dealers of registered vehicles.
"A car changes four hands but the original owner has not changed. Therefore, what happens? That man (the original owner) goes to the slaughterhouse? What is this? How are you permitting this? You will take a call when two-three more bomb blasts take place?" the bench asked the Delhi government's counsel.
The bomb blast near the iconic Mughal-era monument was carried out using a second-hand car, making the issue even more significant, it said.
The court listed the matter for further hearing in January 2026.
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The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) plea filed by an organisation, Towards Happy Earth Foundation, highlighting the challenges in the implementation of rules 55A to 55H of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, introduced in December 2022 to regulate authorised dealers of registered vehicles.
While the rules were intended to bring accountability to the second-hand vehicle market, the petitioner's counsel argued that they have failed in practice due to regulatory gaps and procedural hurdles.
The plea said there is a major gap in the amended framework, that is, the absence of any statutory mechanism for reporting dealer-to-dealer transfers.
"In reality, most used vehicles pass through multiple dealers before reaching the final buyer, but the rules recognise only the first transfer to the initial authorised dealer.
"As a result, the chain of custody breaks after the first step, defeating the very purpose of accountability," the petition said.
It added that because of these gaps, only a very small percentage of dealers across India have been able to obtain authorised dealer registration and in Delhi, not a single dealer has got it.
Consequently, lakhs of vehicles continue to circulate without any record of who is actually in possession of those, it said.
The plea said only a small fraction of India's estimated 30,000 to 40,000 used-vehicle dealers are registered under the authorised-dealer framework.
The petition also pointed out that the 11-year-old vehicle used in the November 10 bomb blast near the Red Fort was sold several times but was still registered in its original owner's name.
The blast near the Red Fort had claimed 15 lives.
