MP waterfall accident: 45 rescued, 6 missing
Bhopal, Aug 16 : After around 50 people were stranded at the Sultangarh waterfall in Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri district, police on Thursday said around 45 people have been rescued while six are still missing.
The picnickers were stuck after the waterfall swelled suddenly on Wednesday. Thirty four people, who were standing on the river rocks got stuck, while 15 were washed away.
"The overnight rescue, which continued till 3 a.m. on Thursday managed to salvage 45 of those stranded on Independence Day. A missing report of six has been filed in Gwalior," Superintendent of Police Rajesh Hingarkar told IANS.
The rescue teams, including the Border Security Force (BSF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), were sent several hours after the incident.
The operation was stalled further till midnight due to heavy flow of water. It was only after the water receded that those stranded were taken out with the help of thick ropes.
The Indian Air Force also saved five lives but the IAF helicopter could not continue its operation due to darkness.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has thanked Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitaraman for their help.
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Rajesh Kumar Singh takes over as defence secretary
New Delhi (PTI): Senior bureaucrat Rajesh Kumar Singh took over as defence secretary on Friday.
The 1989-batch IAS officer from the Kerala cadre assumed charge at the South Block, where the ministry is housed.
Before taking charge, Singh laid a wreath and paid homage to the fallen heroes at the National War Memorial.
He had assumed charge as officer on special duty (defence secretary-designate) on August 20.
"The nation will remain forever indebted to our brave soldiers who make the supreme sacrifice in the service of the motherland. Their extraordinary bravery and sacrifice is a source of strength and inspiration for us to make India a safe and prosperous nation," he said.
Singh held the post of secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry from April 24, 2023, to August 20, 2024.
Prior to that, he was secretary in the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying.
Singh has held many other important positions in the Union government, including director of works and urban transport in the Ministry of Urban Development; commissioner (lands) in the Delhi Development Authority; joint secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas; joint secretary in the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare; and chief vigilance officer in the Food Corporation of India, the ministry said in a statement.
He has also held charge as urban development secretary and finance secretary in the Kerala government.
Singh succeeds Giridhar Aramane, a 1988-batch IAS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre, who superannuated on Thursday.
