NDRF rescues Indian cricket star Radha Yadav amid severe flooding in Gujarat
Vadodara: Amidst relentless downpours and severe flooding across several cities in Gujarat, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) successfully rescued Indian Women’s Cricket Team left-arm spinner, Radha Yadav, from a precarious situation in Vadodara. The cricketer shared her ordeal on Instagram, expressing gratitude to the NDRF for their timely intervention.
Radha Yadav posted a video on her Instagram story on Wednesday, showing NDRF officials rescuing a group of people, including herself, in a boat. The footage captured the aftermath of the Vishwamitri River breaching its banks, which resulted in widespread flooding across low-lying areas of Vadodara.
"We are stuck in a very bad situation. We are so grateful to the #NDRF for saving us," Radha Yadav wrote in her Instagram story, highlighting the gravity of the situation. The cricketer's residence was among the many affected by the sudden surge of floodwaters that submerged roads, buildings, and vehicles across the city.
Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan also took to social media, urging residents of Vadodara to remain indoors amid the flooding. "Stay safe, Baroda. Flooding is widespread, so please stay indoors for your own safety," Pathan advised on the microblogging platform X.
The intense rainfall in Gujarat has created havoc across various regions, particularly in the Saurashtra area. Between 50 mm and 200 mm of rain was recorded in districts like Devbhumi Dwarka, Jamnagar, Rajkot, and Porbandar within a 12-hour period ending at 6 pm on Wednesday. The Bhanvad taluka of Devbhumi Dwarka district experienced the heaviest downpour, receiving 185 mm of rainfall during this period.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that the Saurashtra region will continue to experience heavy rainfall, with some districts expected to receive very heavy rain on Thursday.
In response to the crisis, the NDRF, along with the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and three Army columns, launched extensive rescue operations across the affected areas. Over 17,800 people have been evacuated to safer locations, and an additional 2,000 individuals have been rescued from their homes and rooftops in Vadodara city alone, officials reported.
The Indian Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard have also been deployed to assist in the rescue and relief efforts. Despite these measures, the situation remains dire, with rain-related accidents claiming up to 26 lives over the past three days. Fatalities were reported in districts including Rajkot, Anand, Mahisagar, Kheda, Ahmedabad, Morbi, Junagadh, and Bharuch. On Tuesday alone, nine people lost their lives in various rain-related incidents, including wall collapses and drownings.
The star spinner of women Indian cricket team Radha Yadav took to social media to share that she was in a ‘very bad! pic.twitter.com/e1dRU6c1Tt
— Daddyscore (@daddyscore) August 29, 2024
Stay safe, Baroda. Flooding is widespread, so please stay indoors for your own safety.
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) August 28, 2024
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Misuse of power, money to control election mechanism seen during Maharashtra polls: Sharad Pawar
Pune (PTI): NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday claimed the misuse of power and money to control the entire election mechanism, which was never before seen in any state assembly or national polls, was witnessed in Maharashtra.
Pawar made the statement when he visited senior activist Dr Baba Adhav, who is protesting against the alleged "misuse of EVMs" in the recent state polls in Maharashtra.
Adhav, who is in his 90s, began his three-day protest at Phule Wada, the residence of social reformer Jyotiba Phule, in the city on Thursday.
The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies, the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), have been alleging manipulation of EVMs in the recently held Maharashtra Assembly elections, which saw a landslide victory by the Mahayuti.
The Mahayuti, comprising the Shiv Sena, BJP and NCP, won 230 out of 288 assembly seats in the November 20 polls, while the MVA managed just 46 seats.Talking to reporters, Pawar said elections were conducted recently in the country, and there is a restlessness among the people about these.
Baba Adhav's agitation represents this restlessness, he said.
He said, "There is a murmur among the people that the recent polls in Maharashtra saw 'misuse of power' and 'floods of money', which was never seen in the past. Such things are heard of in local-level polls, but taking over the entire election mechanism with the help of money and misuse of power was not seen before. However, we witnessed it in Maharashtra, and people are restless now."
He added that people were recalling late socialist ideologue Jaiprakash Narayan and felt somebody should take a step forward.
"I heard Baba Adhav has taken a lead into this issue and is agitating at Phule Wada. His protest gives hope to the people, but it is not enough. A mass revolt is necessary, as the danger of the parliamentary democracy getting destroyed looms," Pawar said.
The former Union minister said those who have reins of the country in their hands are least bothered about this.
"Despite widespread discussion over it (alleged misuse of EVMs) in the country, whenever the opposition tries to raise the issue in the Parliament, they are not allowed to speak. Opposition leaders have been seeking an opportunity to speak on these issues for six days, but their demands have not been accepted even once. It shows they want to attack parliamentary democracy," he claimed.
He said Dr Adhav's protest is a fine example of someone revolting against the issue and expressed confidence that his protest will create a ripple effect.
