Kalaburagi: Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre has assured at a press meet in the city that 6,000 vacant posts in the Forest Department will soon be filled.

Addressing reporters on Saturday, he said that 341 posts have already been filled and the process is on to fill 540 other posts. All other vacant posts will be filled after a discussion with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, he added.

The minister said that, in relation to the recent death of tigers in Chamarajnagar, orders have been issued for suspension of Forest Department officials for dereliction of duty and negligence. The suspension of an officer of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has also been recommended to the CM, Khandre told the reporters.

District In-charge Minister Priyank Kharge and Aland MLA BR Patil were present at the press meet.

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Guwahati (PTI): More than 23,000 people have been affected by urban floods in Assam as rains lashed several parts of the state, while the IMD warned of more showers, official sources said on Friday.

The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), in its bulletin, said urban floods have been reported from the three districts of Kamrup (Metropolitan), Sribhumi and Cachar.

Four revenue circles and 12 villages have been inundated in these districts, affecting 23,619 people.

The worst-hit has been Cachar district, where 15,617 people have been affected, followed by Sribhumi with 8,002 flood-hit people, according to the bulletin.

There were no reports of deaths or people missing in the urban floods in the last 24 hours, the ASDMA said.

Fifty-three marooned people and three animals were rescued by a State Disaster Relief Force boat in Sribhumi district.

Meanwhile, the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Guwahati, has issued an 'orange alert' for the four districts of Sribhumi, Hailakandi, Cachar and Dima Hasao for the next 24 hours.

An 'orange alert' implies 'be prepared to take action' and is sounded when thunderstorm and lightning accompanied with gusty wind reaching wind speed 30 to 40 kmph, with heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to occur at isolated places.

'Yellow alert' to be on 'watch/be updated' has been issued for 20 districts -- Dhubri, South Salmara-Mankachar, Goalpara, Kokrajhar, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Bajali, Tamulpur, Nalbari, both Kamrup districts, Udalguri, West Karbi Anglong, Sonitpur, Biswanath, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Charaideo, Dibrugarh and Tinsukia.

Some of the districts on 'yellow alert' are likely to continue receiving heavy rainfall along with thunderstorms for the next couple of days, as per the RMC forecast.