US paraglider stranded at 4,200 ft in Himachal Pradesh, rescued
Shimla: A 64-year-old US national, who got stranded on a snow-covered mountain range in Himachal Pradesh while paragliding, was rescued by a helicopter team Tuesday after being marooned for nearly 40 hours at 4,200 feet, officials said.
Max Kent McGowan was rescued from Uttarala mountain in Kangra district's Baijnath sub-division by a helicopter rescue team, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Sandeep Kumar said.
Kumar said a local youth, Rahul, was "para dropped from the helicopter and he secured McGowan to be airlifted". The youth stayed back as the helicopter could take one person at a time, he said.
Rahul was airlifted by the helicopter on its second sortie, the DC said, adding that the US citizen will be taken for medical check-up to Baijnath.
"Kudos to him (Rahul) and the other team members", who helped in rescuing the stranded paraglider, he said.
McGowan got stranded around 5 pm on Sunday while he was paragliding over the mountain range above Uttarala village. He was rescued Tuesday around 11:45 am, Kumar said.
Officials said as per available information, McGowan took off from Bir Billing on Sunday and got stranded at a height of 4,200 meters on the snow covered Uttarala mountain of the Dhauladhar range.
He had to land due to a decrease in pressure on one side of his parachute. This sent him spinning down and he crashed on the mountain. However, because of a thick layer of fresh snow, he landed safely, they said.
On Monday, McGowan communicated his situation through radio to the manager of a hotel where he was staying.
The manager, in turn, informed authorities about him, they said, adding that McGowan could only be rescued by deploying a helicopter.
The helicopter, however, could not reach Baijnath on Monday due to bad weather, but on Tuesday it reached and rescued the US citizen.
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CM Siddaramaiah warns of possible rainfall dip, stresses uninterrupted drinking water supply
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said there is a possibility of a five per cent decrease in rainfall this year and asked officials to ensure that drinking water supply is not affected.
The CM gave these instructions at a meeting of additional chief secretaries, principal secretaries, and secretaries of all departments held at Vidhana Soudha.
“There is a possibility of a five per cent decrease in rainfall this year. District in-charge secretaries should constantly monitor the drinking water situation in their districts. Meetings should be held with deputy commissioners and zilla panchayat chief executive officers in this regard,” Siddaramaiah said.
“It is the responsibility of the respective secretaries to resolve the problems of the districts under their jurisdiction. Drinking water supply should not be affected for any reason,” his office quoted him as saying in a statement.
Pointing out that B R Ambedkar had warned against officials appeasing politicians, as it could lead to dictatorship, the CM asked officials to work within the framework of the law.
“Give suggestions to ministers within the scope of the law. Bringing a good name to the government depends on the work of the secretaries,” he said, adding that the administration should be made more agile.
Siddaramaiah said the role of departmental secretaries is crucial for the proper functioning of the state administration, as recognised in the Constitution. “It is the duty of all secretaries to act in accordance with the Constitution. They should not do anything against it,” he said.
Referring to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India’s first Home Minister, Siddaramaiah said Patel had emphasised in the constituent assembly that secretaries should fearlessly and independently convey their views to ministers and not hesitate to speak the truth, even if it displeases them.
He urged senior officials to express their opinions fearlessly, independently, and truthfully.
The CM said implementing budget announcements is the responsibility of officials, noting that 15 announcements from last year’s budget are yet to be implemented. “Who is responsible for this?” he asked.
The government made a total of 565 announcements in this year’s budget, including 218 new ones, he said, adding, “It is the responsibility of officials to implement all budget announcements within the same year. They should not remain unimplemented for any reason. Bring any practical difficulties in implementation directly to my notice or that of the chief secretary.”
Out of the announcements in the 2026-27 budget, government orders have been issued for only five, he said.
“All government orders should be implemented, and execution should begin by May; otherwise, the respective secretaries will be held responsible.”
Siddaramaiah said delays in addressing public grievances could erode people’s trust in the government.
“This should not be allowed. Similarly, applications received under Sakala (a government initiative to guarantee services to citizens within a stipulated time) should be disposed of on time.”
Stating that immediate steps should be taken to fill vacant sanctioned posts, he said the finance department has approved the filling of 24,300 posts.
“There are 32,132 posts pending in cadres related to Kalyana Karnataka, and the recruitment process has not yet begun. The revision of cadre and recruitment rules is pending in some departments and should be completed at the earliest,” he said.
Under various centrally sponsored programmes, the state government released its share of Rs 22,768 crore in 2025–26, while the Centre released Rs 16,729 crore. Siddaramaiah said Rs 11,367 crore is still pending from the Centre.
He also directed officials to ensure that grants are utilised within the stipulated period.
Highlighting that contracts worth up to Rs 2 crore have been reserved for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe contractors, the chief minister said such reservations should not be bypassed by bundling works into larger packages.
“All works should be completed within the stipulated time. Construction costs should not escalate due to delays,” he added.
The chief minister also launched the new “Karnataka Progress Portal” and a handbook related to monitoring schemes, approvals, and inter-departmental coordination.
