Shimla records highest precipitation in 13 years
Shimla, July 3 : Himachal Pradesh capital Shimla on Tuesday recorded the highest precipitation of 118 mm within 24 hours since 2005, a MeT official said here.
"The state capital had recorded 118 mm precipitation over the past 24 hours till 8.30 a.m. It is the highest ever rainfall recorded within 24 hours in Shimla. The previous best was 108.4 mm on April 15, 2005," Meteorological Department Director Manmohan Singh told IANS here.
He attributed the heavy precipitation to the formation of cumulonimbus clouds and moisture flow from both the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.
"During the last 24 hours, southwest monsoon was active in the state. Heavy rain occurred at isolated places in Shimla, Bilaspur, Solan, Sirmaur, and Una districts," he said.
Bilaspur and Mandi received 65 mm and 45 mm rainfall respectively. Singh said that light to moderate rainfall will continue in Shimla, Solan, and Sirmaur districts till Thursday.
A majority of localities in the state capital had faced a severe water crisis in the summer months, receiving water supply only once a week.
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Prime organiser of Messi event in Kolkata arrested over ‘mismanagement’ after stadium chaos
Kolkata (PTI): The police on Saturday arrested Satadru Datta, the prime organiser of the Lionel Messi football event at Salt Lake Stadium here, following widespread chaos at the venue, which prompted the Argentine World Cup-winning captain to leave the field early.
Taking suo motu cognisance of the stadium unrest, Datta was held by the Bidhannagar Police for “mismanagement” of the event from the Kolkata airport, where he had gone to see off Messi and his entourage on their way to Hyderabad.
"We are looking into whether there was any mismanagement from the organiser's side, which led to the chaos at the stadium. He has been detained, and the police have now brought the situation under control," West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar said at a press conference.
A senior police officer later confirmed that Dutta has been arrested. Till reports last received, the police were interrogating him and his manager inside one of the departure lounges of the airport.
The organiser has given in writing that he will refund the prices of tickets he sold to the disappointed spectators, Kumar said.
What was supposed to be a marquee football spectacle turned into widespread violence and disorder at the stadium after Messi’s brief and tightly ring-fenced appearance, his first at the venue since 2011, left large sections of the crowd frustrated, as they failed to catch a glimpse of their superstar despite having travelled from far and wide, paying hefty sums for tickets.
Police said they were also investigating how organisers allowed sale of bottled waters and beverages inside the stadium premises, which are banned items during such events.
Thousands of water bottles were used as missiles and lobbed inside the pitch by angry spectators, who also uprooted bucket seats from the gallery and used them as ammunition inside the field against the defending police and security personnel.
Spectators alleged that water bottles were being sold at a massive premium inside the stadium despite police disallowing such items from outside at the entry gates.
Police agreed there was an underlying tension in the galleries on account of Messi not showing his footballing skills on the field, which only got aggravated after a bunch of VIPs, including State Sports Minister Aroop Biswas and unidentified people, blocked the football icon’s view during the limited time he spent on the ground.
“We are on the job, and will ensure that whoever is responsible for what happened today at Salt Lake Stadium will be punished, and action will be taken against the authorities concerned,” said Jawed Shamim, ADG, Law and Order.
