Joint operations to find 3 more missing victims of Ankola landslide continue: Centre tells K'taka HC
Bengaluru: The Central government has informed the Karnataka High Court that the bodies of seven people have been recovered, of the 10 people who went missing after a major landslide on the National Highway 66 at Ankola in Uttara Kannada district on July 16, following intense rainfall, and also stated that the joint operations in the area are still on, to find the three others.
Deputy Solicitor General H Shanthi Bhushan, who filed a status report before the High Court, said that, in response to a request by the district administration authority on July 17, the Indian Navy had deployed two IN diving teams on July 19 to work in coordination with the NDRF team to locate an LPG tanker. The diving teams were equipped with high resolution sonar to locate another truck and the persons missing after the mishap. In addition, a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) team of the Indian Army was deployed for the work on July 21, the HC was told.
The status report was submitted with the petition filed by two advocates, Siji Malayil and Subhash Chandran KR, seeking deployment of the Indian Army personnel for the rescue operations.
The Supreme Court, in its order on July 22, rejected the petition under Article 32 of the Constitution, although it gave liberty to the petitioner to approach the Karnataka High Court and urge for immediate listing of the matter.
The residents of Ankola have said that at least one truck and three cars, which were affected by the landslide, are still under the load of mud that collapsed on the vehicles. On the first four days of rescue operations, however, the local authorities only focused on clearing the path with limited manpower and equipment and without considering the seriousness of the situation, they added.
The petition filed in the High Court states that the inactions of the Karnataka government and the concerned police officers to speed-up the operations had deeply frustrated the petitioners.
They sought a direction to the Karnataka government as well as the Central government for an expedition in the operation work to clear the entire debris and locate the stranded human beings and vehicles using scientific methods.
The next hearing of the case in the Karnataka High Court is scheduled for Wednesday, July 24.
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Mamata visits Bhabanipur EVM strong room, warns against counting irregularities
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee early Friday warned against any attempt to tamper with the counting process, hours after she visited an EVM strong room in Bhabanipur, alleging possible malpractice.
Banerjee, who emerged around 12:07 am after spending nearly four hours at the counting centre for her Bhabanipur constituency housed in Sakhawat Memorial School in south Kolkata, said only one person would be allowed inside the designated counting area.
"Either the candidate or one agent can stay upstairs. I have also suggested installation of a CCTV camera for the media," she told reporters.
Stressing the need for transparency, she said, "It is essential to maintain transparency. People’s votes must be protected. I rushed here after receiving complaints. The central forces initially did not allow me to enter."
Sounding a stern note ahead of the May 4 counting, she added, "If there is any plan to tamper with the counting process, it will not be tolerated."
On Thursday evening, Banerjee had reached the Bhabanipur Assembly segment counting centre, which houses the strong room for EVMs used in the April 29 polling, citing suspicion of tampering with the machines.
She entered the premises along with her election agent and remained inside for hours, even as Kolkata Mayor and TMC candidate from the Kolkata Port segment Firhad Hakim reached the spot but could not meet her.
"I reached here upon learning that the chief minister has arrived. But I couldn’t meet her since she was already inside the premises, exercising her right as a candidate to visit strong rooms. I wasn’t allowed there. I will not be able to confirm what exactly is transpiring inside," Hakim said.
The development coincided with protests by TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra in north Kolkata, where they staged a sit-in alleging irregularities and possible tampering of EVMs stored in strong rooms, leading to face-offs between TMC and BJP supporters.
Earlier in a video message, Banerjee had urged party leaders, workers and polling agents to maintain a 24-hour vigil on EVM strong rooms, alleging that the BJP could attempt to tamper with the machines before counting begins.
Her remarks come amid heightened political tension in the state following a fiercely contested Assembly election, with parties closely monitoring arrangements and raising concerns over transparency.
