Gopeshwar (PTI): A motorable bridge on the Jyotirmath-Malari highway in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district got washed away due to heavy rains, severing connectivity to more than a dozen villages in the border area of the ​​​​Niti Valley.

Heavy rains in the upstream swelled the seasonal Tamak stream, and its gushing waters damaged the bridge around 2:00 am on Sunday, said district administration officials.

There is no report of any loss of life in this incident that occurred in this area located on the banks of Dhauliganga, a tributary of the Alaknanda river.

Meanwhile, the Badrinath National Highway has been closed after debris accumulated at two places -- Bhanirpani and Paaglanala -- between Chamoli and Jyotirmath. The district administration said that debris is being removed with machines to restore traffic on the route.

The Kund-Chamoli National Highway connecting Kedarnath to Chamoli is also blocked due to a landslide near Bairagana, and efforts are on to open it.

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Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka School Education Department has issued a circular strictly prohibiting children from being made to dance to obscene songs in educational and cultural programmes.

It stated that such dances would negatively impact students' mental health and moral values. It will create indiscipline and harm the sanctity of education.

"All the Deputy Directors (Administration) of the state's School Education Department have been asked to take strict measures to prevent children or students from dancing to obscene songs in all government, aided and unaided schools in the state," the office of the commissioner of the School Education Department said in a recent circular.

"If it is found that children are being made to dance to obscene songs, appropriate action will be taken against the headmaster or management of such school," it added.

The department also listed certain measures in this regard, which include: strictly prohibiting children from being made to dance to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes; selecting songs that are inspiring, positive, instilling national pride in children and reflecting the greatness, dignity, values, culture, and morality of the state.

Stating that the school headmaster and management are responsible for selecting songs and dances for cultural programmes, it said, they should also ensure that students wear decent clothes in dance or cultural programmes.