Tripura flood situation grim, CM seeks Army assistance
Agartala, June 14 : Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Thursday sought the Army's assistance in rescue operations in the flood-hit state as incessant rains continued for the third day leading to floods and landslides - forcing some 50,000 people to take shelter in relief camps and claiming four lives.
Deb informed Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in a telephonic conversation on Thursday morning of the situation and apprised him of the steps taken by the state government.
"Apprised Rajnath Singhji about the flood situation and the ongoing relief work in Tripura. Requested for assistance from the Army for rescue operations in a few critical locations. The Home Ministry has assured all the necessary support from the Central government," Deb tweeted.
The Chief Minister also requested the Home Minister to "urgently" increase the number of National Disaster Response Force personnel in Tripura.
An official statement said the Centre has assured all the necessary support to Tripura to deal with the flood situation. It has asked the Army Chief, General Bipin Rawat, to take necessary action.
Meanwhile, an official of the Tripura Disaster Management Control Centre said that around 50,000 people of over 10,000 families took shelter in around 200 relief camps in different parts of the state mostly in northern Tripura.
"At least four people, including two aged men and a teenager, died across Tripura since Tuesday due to landslides, falling trees or fishing in flooded rivers," the official said.
"We have kept ready a Pawan Hans helicopter and sent requisition to the Indian Air Force (IAF) to provide two more copters to rescue marooned people and to provide relief to the affected families if necessary."
He said that Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters on Wednesday and Thursday could not fly from Silchar in southern Assam due to bad weather.
The Disaster Management official said that the situation in northern Tripura's Unokoti district deteriorated after three old embankments of the Manu River was breached.
Waters of many rivers of Tripura are flowing over the danger levels. Flood waters inundated many villages, homes, paddy fields highways besides low-lying areas.
Landslides have occurred in many highways affecting movement of traffic.
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Youth collapses, dies hours after taking part in home guard physical test in Odisha
Bhubaneswar, Mar 27 (PTI): A 19-year-old youth, who collapsed during a physical test for home guard recruitment in Odisha’s Deogarh district, died hours later in a hospital on Thursday, police said.
The deceased was identified as Saheba Dehury, a resident of Budido village in the district's Reamal block.
He died around 3 am due to lack of proper treatment at the district headquarters hospital, his father Pradip Dehury alleged, adding that no doctor was available to treat his son.
He also claimed that Saheba fell unconscious due to exhaustion since the test was conducted under extreme heat.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed grief and announced an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased youth.
Earlier this month, two candidates died while appearing for the physical test for the posts of forest guard, forester and livestock inspector. The examination was conducted by the Odisha Sub-Ordinate Staff Selection Commission (OSSSC) in Sundergarh and Keonjhar districts.
