Udupi: G Shankar Trust donates Rs 25 lakh to families of martyred soldiers
Udupi, Feb 18: The Ambalapadi G Shankar Trust has donated Rs 25 lakh to the families of martyred soldiers who were killed in Pulwama terror strike.
In a condolence programme organised by the District Mogaveera Youth Organisation, Ambalapadi G Shankar Family Trust, various schools and colleges, at Ambalapadi Shamily auditorium here on Monday, trust president G Shankar handed over the cheque for Rs 25 lakh to Additional Deputy Commissioner Vidya Kumari.
Speaking on the occasion, G Shankar said that the amount given by the trust need to be utilized properly. Instead of sending the donation to the Prime Minister’s or Chief Minister’s Relief Funds, it should reach the families of martyred soldiers directly and the district administration should take up that responsibility, he said.
“The condition of soldiers who have been ensuring peaceful nights to the people of the country was at stake. So, they should be instilled confidence and strength. Like politicians and VVIPs, soldiers should also be given zero traffic rules and the Defence Ministry should take responsibility”, he said.
ADC Vidya Kumari said that the district administration has the onus of making sure the donation reaches the families of martyred soldiers.
Mogaveera Youth organization district president Vinay Karkera, Mogaveera Mahajana Sangha president Jaya C Kotian, Udupi DySP Jaishankar, Ajjarakadu government women’s college principal Bhaskar Shetty, lecturer Prof Nithyananda N, student Sameena, Prakash Malpe of Samvedana Trust , soldiers Tharanath, Umesh Suvarna, Suresh Barakur, Balaraj Pithrodi spoke on the occasion.
Udupi Tahsildar Pradeep Kurdekar, Vijaya Bank deputy general manager Ravichandran, retired soldier Arun Kumar and others were present. Thousands of students, general public lit the candles and paid their respect to the departed souls.
“Compared to other districts, the number of people who joins army is low from the coastal districts due to lack of proper guidance, counseling and pressure on the youth. There is no background of people going to army. So, the district administration should make efforts in taking these numbers up”.
- Suresh Babu, Soldier
“I have been working in the army for the last 15 years. I have worked in both extreme cold and hot conditions. With the problems, this profession has a kind of thrill. Efforts should be made to encourage our youngsters to join army, and a child from every house should be in the army”.
- Tharanath, Soldier
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
14 India-bound ships in Strait of Hormuz stopped by Iran; 1 hit by bullets, 1 crosses: Sources
New Delhi (PTI): A convoy of 14 India-bound ships carrying crude oil and gas were stopped by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) by firing at two of them while they were transiting the Strait of Hormuz, leading to 13 of the vessels returning to different locations in the Persian Gulf, official sources privy to the development said.
An Indian-flag carrying ship, which was hit by bullets fired by the IRGC while crossing the Strait of Hormuz, was carrying crude oil and a window pane was broken, forcing it to stop the journey and return. The extent of damage to the second vessel was not immediately known but it also had returned.
However, another ship, which was Indian flagged and loaded with crude oil for the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, sailed through the Strait and is now heading towards India, the sources said.
Two Iranian gunboats approached the targeted tanker and fired at it without warning. Gunboats approached the vessel 37 kilometres northeast of Oman, causing other vessels to return without completing the crossing, the sources said.
The incident was reported in waters between the Qeshm and Larak islands, they said.
Out of the 14 India-bound vessels, seven are carrying the Indian flag, four have the Liberia flag, two are of the Marshall Islands and one of Vietnam.
Six of them are loaded with crude oil, three have LPG and four are loaded with fertilisers. Among the ships, five are bulk carriers. All 14 vessels were sailing in a row.
Thirteen of them were stopped by the Iranian Navy and were instructed to wait. Out of the 13 stranded vessels, seven vessels are drifting south of Larak Island, waiting for clearance from the Iranian Navy, the sources said.
The Indian government is understood to have been coordinating with the Iranian authorities for the safe voyage of the stranded India-bound ships, they said.
The standoff over the Strait of Hormuz reportedly escalated again on Saturday as Iran reversed its reopening of the crucial waterway and fired on ships attempting to pass. This came as the United States pressed ahead with its blockade of Iranian ports.
Confusion over the Strait, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil passes, threatened to deepen the energy crisis.
The ceasefire between Iran and the US is due to run out by mid-next week.
Iran's joint military command said Saturday that "control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state ... under strict management and control of the armed forces."
It warned that it would continue to block transit through the strait as long as the US blockade of Iranian ports remained in effect.
