10 die in flashfloods triggered by heavy rain in Meghalaya
Shillong (PTI): At least 10 people died, including seven of a family, in rain-induced flashfloods that ravaged Meghalaya's South Garo Hills district in the past 24 hours, officials said.
Incessant rainfall has triggered landslides in Gasuapara region of the district, they said on Saturday.
The family of seven were inside their home in the remote village of Hatiasia Songma when a landslide struck on Saturday, a senior official said.
The deceased include three minors.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma held a review meeting on the situation across the five districts of Garo Hills.
He expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives, as three persons from Dalu and seven people from Hatiasia Songma were confirmed dead, the officials said.
Sangma has also ordered immediate ex gratia payment to the next of kin of the deceased.
Personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and SDRF have been deployed to carry out search and rescue operations in the worst-affected areas, they said.
During the meeting, Sangma suggested the use of bailey bridge technology for rebuilding efforts, which will allow for rapid assembly and transportation, the officials added.
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Siddaramaiah fumes at opposition for targeting his wife in MUDA case
Raichur (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday came down heavily on the opposition BJP and the JD(S) for dragging his wife Parvathi B M in the MUDA case, who had never stepped into public life and stayed within her house.
He also accused the opposition of targeting him because they could not tolerate a person from a backward community in the chief minister’s post.
Speaking at the ‘Swabhimani Samavesha’ (self-esteem convention) in Manvi Taluk, which was organised for the ‘AHINDA’ (minorities, backward and Dalit) communities, Siddaramaiah said the five guarantees introduced by the Congress government last year is strengthening the poor, backward, minorities, women and Dalits by raising their economical and social status, which the opposition BJP and the JD(S) could not tolerate.
"They (opposition) got so frustrated that they dragged my wife, who had never entered politics or stepped out of her house (in public life), on the road. You need to ask (opposition) this question whether this is justified," the chief minister said.
There is mounting pressure from the opposition parties on Siddaramaiah to resign from his post after a special court ordered the Lokayukta police on September 25 to investigate him in the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment case.
Accordingly, the Lokayukta police on September 27 registered an FIR against Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathi, brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy, Devaraju -- from whom Mallikarjuna Swamy purchased land and gifted it to Parvathi -- and others.
The order of the Special Court came a day after the High Court upheld the sanction granted by the Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to conduct an investigation against Siddaramaiah.
The ED has also registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), equivalent to an FIR by police, against the chief minister over the alleged irregularities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife by the MUDA.
The MUDA on October 1 decided to take back the 14 plots allotted to Siddaramaiah's wife, following her decision to relinquish their ownership and possession. The MUDA has ordered to cancel the sale deed of these plots, its Commissioner A N Raghunandan had said.
Siddaramaiah asked the audience whether it was wrong to give them five guarantees and also Indira Canteens offering subsidised breakfast and meals, 'Ksheera Bhagya' scheme, 'Ksheera Dhaare' scheme, 'Vidya Siri' scheme and 'Mathrupoorna' scheme.
He alleged that the opposition wanted to tarnish his image and trouble him politically, though he did not commit any mistake.
"They want to topple the Siddaramaiah government for just one mistake, that I belong to a backward community. That’s their (opposition party leaders) heartburn. Can you tolerate this?" the chief minister charged.
"My mistake is that I worked towards giving the backward communities the kind of social freedom B R Ambedkar had dreamt of," he added.
Earlier speaking to reporters, Siddaramaiah said the ‘Swabhimani Samavesha’ was not against anyone but to increase the self-esteem of minorities, backward communities and Dalits (AHINDA communities) in the state.
