Mizoram police rescues 3 Mizo women from Syria
Aizawl (PTI): The Mizoram Police has rescued and brought back three Mizo women who were engaged as housemaids and stranded in Syria for about 20 months, an officer said on Sunday.
The three women had left Mizoram in 2022 and began to face hardships soon after they landed in Syria in November of that year, he said.
After intense efforts by Mizoram police and Indian Embassy authorities and fulfilling all legal formalities, the three women left Syria on August 20 and were safely brought back home on Saturday, the police officer said.
While two women hailed from the Hnahthial district, the other one is from the Champhai district, he said.
The three women were illegally sent to Syria by a private placement agency in November to work as housemaids, he said.
Soon after they reached Syria on November 6, 2022, the three women began to face issues from their employers.
Chief Minister Lalduhoma and Home Minister K Sapdanga have taken the issue very seriously, and with their direction, initiatives have been taken to rescue and repatriate the three Mizo women from Syria since May, he said.
Court cases were also involved in the matter.
During the process, the state government was in constant touch with the Indian embassy and Syrian authorities.
After the legal cases were won, the Indian embassy in Damascus gave shelter to the three women for three weeks, and when the exit visas were issued, they were brought to New Delhi on August 20 and then to Aizawl on Saturday, the police officer said.
They will be sent to their villages within this week to be reunited with their families, he added.
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Heavy rain, hailstorms lash parts of Uttarakhand; all districts put on high alert
Dehradun (PTI): Heavy rain and hailstorms accompanied by strong winds lashed several districts of Uttarakhand on Sunday morning, prompting the state administration to put all district authorities on high alert.
The sudden change in weather caused uprooted trees to block roads and disrupted power supply at various locations.
Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman chaired a review meeting with district officials to assess the situation.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast light to moderate rain and thunderstorms at most places across all districts for Monday and Tuesday. Snowfall is expected in regions situated at altitudes of 4,000 metres and above.
An 'orange alert' remains in place for Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri, Pauri, Nainital, Champawat, and Udham Singh Nagar. These districts are likely to witness isolated heavy rain, hailstorms, and intense to very intense spells of rain accompanied by gusty winds reaching speeds of 40-50 kmph, the IMD said.
The weather office predicted that maximum temperatures across the state are likely to fall by 3-5 degrees Celsius over the next three to four days. During the past 24 hours, maximum temperatures remained "markedly below normal" in the plains and ranged from "markedly" to "appreciably" below normal in the hilly regions.
Dehradun experienced dark, overcast skies early Sunday, creating night-like conditions during morning hours. The city recorded a maximum temperature of 34.7 degrees Celsius, 5.3 degrees Celsius below the seasonal average.
For the state capital, the forecast predicts a partly to generally cloudy sky with a high of 31 degrees Celsius and a low of 19 degrees Celsius.
Significant rainfall was recorded across the state after 8.30 am on Sunday, with Jollygrant receiving 21.6 mm and Mohakampur recording 19.8 mm. Other areas, including Mukteshwar (15.0 mm), Mussoorie (13.4 mm), and Pithoragarh (8.5 mm), also saw measurable precipitation.
Secretary Suman directed officials to clear blocked roads on priority to ensure public convenience. Specific instructions were issued regarding the Char Dham Yatra, ordering that helicopter services must operate strictly according to weather conditions to ensure pilgrims' safety.
Isolated places in the remaining hilly districts are also expected to experience thunderstorms with lightning and intense rain spells.
