Cong govt carrying out rescue operation on war footing: Kharge on Himachal landslide
New Delhi (PTI): In the wake of loss of lives due to a massive landslide hitting a private bus in Himachal Pradesh's Bilaspur district, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu is personally overseeing the relief and rescue efforts and the party's government in the state is providing all possible assistance to the victims.
At least 15 passengers were killed in the accident on Tuesday evening, officials said.
The accident took place in Bhalughat area in Jhandutta assembly segment around 6:30 pm, they said, adding the bus carrying 25-30 passengers was on its way from Marotan to Ghumarwin.
In a post on X in Hindi, Congress president Kharge said the tragic bus accident in Bilaspur district, which resulted in the death of several people, is deeply saddening and unfortunate.
"The state government is continuing its rescue operation on a war footing. The chief minister is personally overseeing the relief and rescue efforts, and the government is providing all possible assistance to the victims," Kharge said.
"Our deepest condolences go out to the bereaved families. We stand with them," he said.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the news of the deaths and injuries of a large number of passengers due to a landslide in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh, is deeply saddening.
"May the departed souls rest in peace. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. I wish the injured a speedy recovery," she said in a post in Hindi on X.
"In this hour of crisis, the state's Congress government stands with the victims in every way; efforts are being made on a war-footing to provide all possible assistance and relief," she said.
According to officials, several people are believed to be trapped under the debris while three have been rescued.
Intermittent rains have been lashing the area in Himachal since Monday.
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Odisha: Normalcy returns to violence-hit Malkangiri; internet services fully restored
Malkangiri (PTI): Normalcy returned to Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Monday, nearly a week after around 200 villages were damaged in violent clashes in a village, with the district administration fully restoring internet services, a senior official said.
Additional District Magistrate Bedabar Pradhan said internet services, suspended across the district on December 8 to curb the spread of rumours and misinformation following the clashes, were restored after the situation improved.
The suspension had been extended in phases till 12 noon on Monday.
The administration also withdrew prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita within a 10-km radius of MV-26 village, where arson incidents were reported on December 7 and December 8.
Though the violence was confined to two villages, tension had gripped the entire district, as the incident took the form of a clash between local tribals and Bengali settlers following the recovery of a headless body of a woman on December 4, officials said.
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The violence broke out after residents of Rakhelguda village allegedly set ablaze several houses belonging to Bengali residents, forcing hundreds to flee. The headless body of Lake Podiami (51), a woman from the Koya tribe, was recovered from the banks of the Poteru river on December 4, while her head was found six days later at a location about 15 km away.
Officials said the district administration held several rounds of discussions with representatives of the tribal and Bengali communities, following which both sides agreed to maintain peace.
Relief and rehabilitation work has since been launched at MV-26 village, with preliminary assessment pegging property damage at around Rs 3.8 crore.
A two-member ministerial team headed by Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo visited the affected village, interacted with officials and locals, and submitted a report to the chief minister.
So far, 18 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, the officials said, adding that despite the withdrawal of prohibitory orders and restoration of internet services, security forces, including BSF and CRPF personnel, continue to be deployed to prevent any untoward incident.
On Sunday, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi visited MV-26 and neighbouring Rakhelguda villages, and held discussions with members of both communities as part of efforts to rebuild confidence and restore peace.
More than two lakh Bengali-speaking Bangladeshis were rehabilitated by the Centre in Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts in 1968, and they currently reside in 124 villages of Malkangiri.
