Landslide kills three in Uttarakhand, five still trapped
Dehradun, Aug 29 : Three people were killed and five others are suspected to be trapped under rubble in Uttarakhand's Tehri district following a landslide on Wednesday, police said.
Heavy rains are lashing most parts of the hill state, triggering a spate of landslides.
The landslide damaged a house and five shops, burying eight people under it. While five persons are still trapped under the rubble, three bodies have been taken out, police said.
The Sub-divisional magistrate(SDM), P. R. Chauhan, said a team of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has reached the site of the incident.
Due to rains, the Pindar river in Tehri has been in spate and many landslides have taken place in the region, an official said.
Meanwhile, rains continued to batter most parts of the state for the sixth consecutive day, leading to water logging in the cities and towns and landslides in the countryside.
More than 80 link roads have been either damaged or closed for traffic in Paudi district alone due to heavy rains and inclement weather. Overnight rains in Nainital, a popular hill station for tourists, has disrupted normal life.
A landslide behind a school in Nainital's Mallitaal area has forced the district administration to send advice to schools to be vigilant. On inspection by authorities, a large section of road on the Haldwani-Bheemtaal road, has turned weak and can at any time cave into the lake, an official said. Traffic has been stopped on this road.
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Karnataka govt directs municipal corps to regulate, prohibit pigeon feeding
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government has issued directions to municipal corporations across the state to regulate and prohibit feeding pigeons in public places, citing serious public health concerns.
Deputy Secretary to Government V Lakshmikanth has written to the Urban Development Department requesting it to issue directions to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and all municipal corporations to take immediate steps to implement the measures.
In an official note dated December 16 issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department and released to the media on Wednesday, the department said uncontrolled feeding of pigeons in public places has resulted in large congregations of birds, excessive droppings and serious health concerns, particularly respiratory illnesses linked to prolonged exposure to pigeon droppings and feathers such as hypersensitivity pneumonitis and other lung diseases.
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"The commissioner, the Greater Bengaluru Authority and the Commissioners and chief officers of other municipal corporations shall take necessary action to mitigate the causes of dangerous disease spread by pigeon and enforce specified guidelines in their respective jurisdiction," the note said.
According to the department, these include a prohibition on feeding pigeons or causing pigeons to be fed in areas where it may cause nuisance or pose a health hazard to the public. Pigeon feeding shall be permitted only in designated areas in a controlled manner, subject to certain conditions.
"The designated areas may be selected in consultation with stakeholders. The responsibility for upkeep of the designated areas and compliance to the directions shall be taken up by some charitable organisation or an NGO. The feeding in designated areas shall be permitted only for some limited hours in the day," it said.
The note further stated that authorised officers of local authorities shall issue on-the-spot warnings and may impose fines for violation of the order, or lodge complaints to prosecute offenders under Sections 271 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 272 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
It also directed local authorities to conduct public awareness campaigns, including the display of signboards, banners and digital messages, explaining the health hazards associated with pigeon droppings and feathers, the content of the regulatory directions and penalties for violations, and alternative humane methods of bird conservation that do not endanger public health.
