11 killed as vehicle falls into gorge in Uttarakhand's Chamoli
Dehradun/Gopeshwar (PTI): Eleven people were killed and three injured as a passenger vehicle fell into a deep gorge in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district on Friday, police said.
An SUV carrying 16 passengers fell into a 300-metre deep gorge at Urgam in Joshimath area of the district at around 4 pm, Chamoli SP Pramendra Dobhal said.
The passengers were on their way to Palla Jakhol village from Joshimath when the accident occurred, the State Emergency Operation Centre in Dehradun said.
Two of the occupants jumped out of the vehicle in the nick of time, the SP said.
Police and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams rushed to the spot for the rescue operations.
The vehicle is said to have been overloaded, with some occupants also sitting on its roof.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed grief at the loss of lives in the accident and announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of those killed.
He spoke to the District Magistrate of Chamoli, Himanshu Khurana, over the phone and asked him to expedite the rescue efforts. Dhami also asked the officer to ensure that free medical treatment is provided to the injured.
According to a list issued by the SP office in Chamoli, those killed in the accident were identified as Dalip Singh Chauhan, Sitab Singh Chauhan, Subodh Singh, Vikram Singh, Kashmira Devi, Lakshman Singh, Tajwar Singh, Rajeshwari, Gajendra Singh, Ranjit Singh and Gabbar Singh.
Most of those killed were from Kimana, Kalkot, Dumak and Palla villages.
The injured comprised Ajit Yadav, Rohit Prajapati and Mahavir Singh. Hemant Chauhan and Jeetpal escaped unhurt.
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TN seeks duty-free cotton imports to support textile sector: CM Vijay writes to PM
Chennai (PTI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove the import duty on cotton.
In his first letter to Modi after taking over as chief minister of the state, he said Tamil Nadu is the country’s largest textile and apparel exporting state.
Lakhs of people are dependent on this sector for both direct and indirect employment, especially women from rural and semi-urban backgrounds, Vijay pointed out.
Stating that the industry is facing a severe crisis due to an increase in cotton prices and consequently yarn prices, he said, “I understand this is caused primarily due to a shortage in cotton production and increased trading activity in the country.”
Pointing out that the price of cotton has increased from Rs 54,700 to Rs 67,700 per candy—an increase of 25 per cent over the last two months—while yarn prices have increased from Rs 301 to Rs 330 per kg, he said, “In this situation, the continued supply of raw material can be ensured only through imports.”
However, there is an import duty of 11 per cent on cotton, he said, adding that in such a situation, permitting duty-free cotton imports will help the industry meet increasing export commitments and remain globally competitive.
Vijay said that after agriculture, the textile and apparel sector is one of the largest employment-generating sectors.
“There is a significant responsibility on the government to safeguard the employment of lakhs of people and ensure the sustainability of the textile value chain," he said.
“Hence, I request your intervention to remove the import duty on cotton from the existing 11 per cent to 0 per cent to ensure the availability of raw material. This measure will enable the textile and apparel industry to remain globally competitive, enhance exports, and protect jobs,” he added.
