Who all cursed me for lack of ACs in Paris? Modi shares a laugh with India's Olympians
New Delhi (PTI): Lakshya Sen revealed how his phone was taken away by strict coach Prakash Padukone, hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh talked about his team's thrilling run while everyone shared a good laugh on the air conditioning woes in Paris when Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted a reception for the Indian contingent after its fairly decent Olympic campaign.
The Prime Minister hosted the contingent after the Independence Day celebrations at Red Fort, where too the athletes were in attendance on Thursday. The video of the interaction was shared by Modi and the athletes could be seen having one-on-one chats with the PM.
In one such conversation with Lakshya, who finished fourth in the men's singles badminton competition, Modi said: "When I met Lakshya for the first time, he was very small but now he has grown up. Do you know, this time you have become a celebrity?
To this, Lakshya replied: "Yes sir. But during matches Prakash Sir took my phone and told me till the matches are over, you won't get your phone. But after that I got to know the support I got.
"It was a learning experience and little heart-breaking as well because I came so close," said the 22-year-old who lost from a position of strength in the bronze playoff.
A laughing Modi instantly said: "Prakash Sir was so disciplined and strict, I will send him the next time as well."
The Paris Olympics were promoted as eco-friendly Games. So, there were no air conditioners in any rooms in the Games village, forcing the sports ministry to dispatch 40 portable ACs on an urgent basis for their comfortable stay.
A laughing Modi asked all the athletes who all cursed him for the situation, to which no one replied.
"There were no ACs and it was hot as well, so I want to know which of you cried first saying 'Modi speaks big but there are no ACs in rooms so what should we do'," Modi said.
"Who all are there who faced most difficulties. But then I learnt that within few hours that work also was done. See, how we try to provide you the best of facilities," the Prime Minister added.
Modi also had a light-hearted chat with Harmanpreet, who opened up on how the team fought back after being down to 10 men for more than 40 minutes in the quarterfinal against Great Britain.
"Just tell me when you to fight with 10-men against Britain, you must have been demoralised from the start, Sarpanch saab, please tell, it was very difficult," Modi asked the India captain, addressing him with his nickname.
Harmanpreet replied: "Yes Sir, it was very difficult because we got the red card in the first quarter but our coaching staff helped us a lot. We visualised every situation because in Olympics anything can happen. The motivation of the team also increased because we have a rivalry with GB (Britain)."
Modi interrupted and laughingly said: "It has been going on for the last 150 years."
Harmanpreet said: "We fought and ended the match 1-1 and won it in shoot-out. It never ever happened in Olympics history (playing with 10 men for 42 minutes and then winning)."
Paris Olympics launch-pad for Indian sports' rise
Modi believes the just-concluded Paris Olympics is going to be a turning point for India. The 117-member Indian contingent returned with six medals, including one silver and five bronze. The count was one less than Tokyo and there was no gold in the tally this time.
But Modi appreciated the efforts of all athletes who represented the country and said their inputs will help in successfully getting the hosting rights of the 2036 Games.
"Those who have returned after losing, please get this out of your mind. You made the country proud and came back after learning something. Sports is one area where no one loses, everybody learns," Modi said.
"I believe Paris Olympics will be a launch-pad for the rise of Indian sports. This is going to be our turning point. After that there will only be wins. We are not going to stop," the Prime Minister added.
The Prime Minister termed the athletes as "India's soldiers of 2036 Olympics".
"India is preparing to host the 2036 Olympics. In this case many athletes who played in the Olympics, their inputs are very important. You might have observed many things there, from Olympics planning to all facilities, from sports management to event management," Modi said.
"Your experiences, your observations, we need to write them down, so in 2036 Olympics all the little things and experiences of yours will help us in preparing for the Games. In one way you are soldiers of 2036 Olympics," he added.
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Chamoli hydropower tunnel train collision: 88 injured, magisterial probe ordered
Gopeshwar/Dehradun (PTI): Chamoli District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar on Wednesday ordered a magisterial inquiry into the collision between two loco trains inside the Pipalkoti tunnel of the under-construction Vishnugad-Pipalkoti hydropower project, which left 88 people injured.
Earlier in the day, Kumar said that the accident occurred around 8.30 pm on Tuesday at the TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) site inside the tunnel being built by THDC (India).
A loco train carrying workers for tunnel excavation during the night shift was about two kilometres inside the tunnel when another loco train coming from the opposite direction lost control and collided with it.
One of the trains had workers and officials on board, while the other carried material.
Upon receiving information about the collision, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami ordered proper treatment for the injured. He spoke to the DM over the phone and instructed him to ensure that all the injured receive the best possible medical facilities.
DM Kumar and Superintendent of Police Surjit Singh Panwar met the injured at the Gopeshwar District Hospital.
Kumar said 109 people were on board the loco train at the time of the accident, most of them labourers. None of the injured was serious, he said.
He said that 88 of them were injured, although none of them are in serious condition. They said that 84 workers were discharged after receiving first aid, while four are still hospitalized.
DM Kumar and SP Panwar also inspected the project site and sought detailed information about the incident from the project officials.
They instructed them to strictly implement all necessary safety standards to prevent a recurrence of such an incident in the future.
After inspection, the DM issued orders for a magisterial inquiry into the accident caused by the collision of the loco trains.
Meanwhile, the Railways said the trains involved in the collision had no connection with it.
"It is clarified that this unfortunate incident occurred in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, involving a trolley used in the local transportation system during the construction of a hydroelectric project tunnel. The train referred to in the news reports is not an Indian Railways train, but a transportation system being used locally by the project team," the government entity said in a statement.
According to officials, rail-like vehicles are used to transport workers, employees, and materials for construction work inside the tunnel.
The project, being built between Helang and Pipalkoti on the Alaknanda River, will generate 444 megawatts of electricity through four turbines. The project is targeted for completion by next year.
