Uttarakhand: Bridge on Jyotirmath-Malari highway washed away, multiple villages cut off
Gopeshwar (PTI): A motorable bridge on the Jyotirmath-Malari highway in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district got washed away due to heavy rains, severing connectivity to more than a dozen villages in the border area of the Niti Valley.
Heavy rains in the upstream swelled the seasonal Tamak stream, and its gushing waters damaged the bridge around 2:00 am on Sunday, said district administration officials.
There is no report of any loss of life in this incident that occurred in this area located on the banks of Dhauliganga, a tributary of the Alaknanda river.
Meanwhile, the Badrinath National Highway has been closed after debris accumulated at two places -- Bhanirpani and Paaglanala -- between Chamoli and Jyotirmath. The district administration said that debris is being removed with machines to restore traffic on the route.
The Kund-Chamoli National Highway connecting Kedarnath to Chamoli is also blocked due to a landslide near Bairagana, and efforts are on to open it.
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NIA registers case to probe recovery of 79 crude bombs in poll-bound West Bengal
New Delhi (PTI): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday registered a case to probe recovery of 79 crude bombs in poll-bound West Bengal, officials said.
The move came following a directive by the Union Home Ministry in this regard, they said.
In pursuance to the home ministry's order, the anti-terror agency on Sunday registered a case, which was originally filed at Uttar Kashi police station, Bhangar division, Kolkata on Saturday, and took up the investigation, an NIA spokesperson said in a late night statement.
"The case pertains to recovery of 79 crude bombs and other incriminating materials by Kolkata police, which were being stored at a spot, thereby endangering human life and property," the spokesperson said.
Earlier in the day, the Election Commission had directed the West Bengal Police to launch a special drive to arrest those involved in illegal manufacturing of crude bombs in the poll-bound state, an official said.
It asserted that all cases related to the making of any such explosive would be probed by the National Investigation Agency, the official said.
The directive came after the police recovered a large number of crude bombs from the house of a person, allegedly a TMC worker, at Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district, days ahead of the second and final phase of the assembly polls in the state.
The explosives were recovered during a search at the residence of Rafikul Islam following specific inputs, the official said.
The poll panel also issued a warning to senior police officers across the state over any lapse in maintaining law and order before the April 29 polling.
The first phase of the assembly elections in West Bengal was held on April 23, while the second phase will take place on April 29. Votes will be counted on May 4.
A record 93.19 per cent turnout has been recorded in the first round of polling. Bhangar will vote in the second phase.
