Uttarkashi floods: 150 rescued, 11 army troops missing, says NDRF
New Delhi (PTI): About 150 people have been rescued from Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi, struck by flash floods a day ago, even as 11 army troops remain missing, an NDRF officer said on Wednesday.
In Himachal Pradesh, 413 pilgrims stranded along the Kinnaur Kailash Yatra route were rescued.
Deputy Inspector General (Operations) Mohsen Shahedi told reporters that three teams of the federal contingency force were en route to the Dharali village, but were delayed as the Rishikesh-Uttarkashi highway is blocked due to landslides.
Bad weather has so far prevented two National Disaster Response Force teams from being airlifted from Dehradun, he said.
Shahedi said that as per reports received by the NDRF, the army, ITBP, and the SDRF teams are undertaking rescue operations in the affected area and have rescued about 150 people.
"We have been told that four people have been killed and about 50 are missing. Eleven army troops are missing from the Harsil area," he said.
Three teams of the NDRF are very close to the affected areas, and they will reach as soon as the route clears, the DIG said. Shahedi said around 2 pm on Tuesday, flash floods triggered by a cloudburst hit Uttarkashi villages.
A lake has formed in the higher area, but it is safe as the water is receding, he said.
Meanwhile, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police said they have rescued 413 pilgrims who were stranded along the Kinnaur Kailash Yatra route in the state.
A large part of the trekking path was washed away, and the pilgrims were rescued through the rope-based traverse crossing technique, an ITBP spokesperson said.
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Right to vote under threat, must be made fundamental right: Cong's Jairam Ramesh
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged on Thursday that the right to vote is under threat and the time has come when it should be made a fundamental right for citizens.
Speaking with reporters, Ramesh lashed out at Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, saying the Election Commission (EC) has never been as compromised as it has been under him.
"The rot started under his predecessor. This man is a player and not a neutral observer," the Congress leader said, slamming Kumar.
Kumar is completely compromised and has become a player in elections, he alleged.
"Home Minister Amit Shah had talked about three Ds -- detect, delete and deport. So we want to know how many non-Indian citizens have been detected, how many have been deleted and how many have been deported," Ramesh said, adding that the right to vote is now under threat.
On opposition parties submitting a fresh notice in the Rajya Sabha, seeking to move a motion for the CEC's removal, the Congress leader said they will continue to make efforts for Kumar's removal as he is "compromised".
Ramesh also batted for the right to vote to be recognised as a fundamental right.
"I believe that the time has come that the right to vote should be made a fundamental right. It is a statutory right, it is not a fundamental right. Fundamental rights are justiciable," he said.
The former Union minister said this was discussed in the Constituent Assembly, but it was eventually decided that it should be made part of the Constitution.
B R Ambedkar and Jagjivan Ram had warned that in the future, governments might try to disenfranchise voters, he added.
"Once and for all, include the right to vote as a fundamental right for Indian citizens," Ramesh asserted.
