12 killed in heavy rain, floods in central China
Beijing, Jul 21: At least 12 people were killed while about 100,000 have been relocated to safe places in China's central Henan province which received the highest daily rainfall since the weather record began, state media reported on Wednesday.
Provincial capital Zhengzhou reported a record-high hourly precipitation of 201.9 mm between 4 PM and 5 PM on Tuesday, the Henan provincial meteorological centre said.
The downtown area of Zhengzhou received an average precipitation of 457.5 mm within 24 hours on Tuesday, the highest daily rainfall since the weather record began, Xinhua news agency reported.
Twelve people were killed while about 100,000 have been relocated to safe places, it said.
Henan province is home to many cultural sites and a major base for industry and agriculture. Reports said that Shaolin Temple, known for its Buddhist monks' mastery of martial arts, was severely hit by floods.
The severe waterlogging has led to the virtual paralysis of the city's road traffic. Over 80 bus lines have been suspended, more than 100 temporarily detoured and the subway service has also been temporarily suspended.
Rainwater poured into the subway tunnel of the city's Line Five, trapping an unknown number of passengers aboard a subway train.
Police officers, firefighters and workers from the local sub district have arrived at the site for the rescue operation, the report said.
The water level inside the subway carriage is receding, and the passengers are temporarily safe, it said.
More than 160 train services were stopped at Zhengzhoudong Railway Station.
The airport in Zhengzhou cancelled 260 flights into and out of the city, and local railway authorities also halted or delayed some trains.
Affected by the rainstorms, several residential communities in the city are without tap water and electricity.
Both Henan provincial and Zhengzhou municipal meteorological bureaus have raised the emergency response for meteorological disasters to level I.
Heavy rains in Henan are expected to last until Wednesday night, according to forecasts.
Dramatic scenes in the Chinese city of #Zhengzhou of people trapped in the worst flooding the city has seen in decades. 12 people are confirmed dead, most died in submerged subway stations. No power and water in many parts of the city. 10,000 firefighters and soldiers deployed. pic.twitter.com/g5eEim5n7H
— Katrina Yu (@Katmyu) July 21, 2021
Life and death moment: a woman was rescued from flood waters by several people through a rope in Zhengzhou, which has been hit by torrential rains that have killed 12 people. pic.twitter.com/COvByKSd6Q
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) July 21, 2021
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Govt committed to implementing internal reservation for SCs, after survey: CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, Apr 5 (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday reaffirmed his government's committment to providing internal reservation among Scheduled Castes (SC), and emphasised that there should be no doubts about it.
He said Justice H N Nagmohan Das Commission has been given two months to conduct the survey, following which internal reservation will be implemented by ensuring no injustice is done to anyone.
"There should be no doubt about internal reservation. We will implement it. Even if you say no, we will implement it. We will definitely follow the Supreme Court order."
Speaking at the event to mark the 118th birth anniversary of Dr Babu Jagjivan Ram, he said, "Justice Nagamohan Das has asked for a two-month time. We have given it. Will implement it by ensuring that no injustice is done to any one."
On March 27, the Karnataka cabinet approved a survey of SCs in the state, following the acceptance of the interim report by Justice Nagmohan Das Commission. The survey will help determine the implementation of internal reservation among SCs.
The one-man commission of the retired High Court judge has been tasked with overseeing the survey and gathering empirical data. A timeline of 60 days has been set to complete the process and submit the report to the government.
A section of SCs, like 'SC Left', has been demanding internal reservation, alleging that only a few influential sub-castes were taking away a majority of the benefits, while many communities were still marginalised.
The internal reservation is aimed at slicing up the 17 per cent reservation matrix given to 101 scheduled castes.
The government, in November last year, had appointed Nagmohan Das to head a commission to recommend internal reservation among SCs, after the Supreme Court last year allowed the states to provide internal reservation, and the state cabinet agreed to implement internal reservation.
In a landmark verdict delivered by the Supreme Court on August 1 last year, it held that states are constitutionally empowered to make sub-classifications within the SCs, which form a socially heterogeneous class, for granting reservation for the uplift of castes that are socially and educationally more backward.
In his address, Siddaramaiah opined that reservation is here to stay, as it is unlikely to be opposed in today’s age.
"No one says reservation should go, because everybody has taken its benefit," he said.
"After Narendra Modi became the prime minister, he gave 10 per cent reservation for the economically weaker (ESW) sections. That means everybody gets a reservation. No one opposes reservation now. Even those who opposed it have benefitted," he added.
