Page 834 - Disaster Accident
Chhindwara coal mines to be re-opened: Shivraj Chouhan
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan stated that the dysfunctional coal mines in Chhindwara area would soon be reopened.Speaking to ANI, the Chief Minister, who met Union Minister for Railways and Coal Piyush Goyal in the national capital on Wednesday, said the reopening of the mines would help the employees once again earn their living."Due to security reasons it was decided to shut the coal mine in Chhindwara. I met Coal Minister Piyush Goyal along with Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Minister for Social Justice Thawar Chand Gehlot to convey that if this continues, 3,000 people will be left unemployed. I also urged him to ensure security in the mines for the employees," he said.Operations in the coal mines in Vishnu Puri and Mohari areas of Madhya Pradesh were stalled due to lack of security provisions in the area. This caused rampant unemployment in the villages due to unavailability of other jobs.In addition to the opening of the coal mines in Chhindwara, ..
Aircraft suffers tyre burst while landing at Hyderabad Airport
Over 70 passengers on board an Indigo aircraft from Tirupati had a narrow escape while one of its tyres burst while landing at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here on Wednesday night, the airline said.
Govt approves signing of pact between India, SACEP
The government today approved the signing of a pact between India and South Asian Cooperative Environment Programme (SACEP) for cooperation on the response to oil and chemical pollution in the South Asian Seas Region. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the pact which intends to promote cooperation between India and other maritime nations, comprising the South Asian seas region for protection and preservation of marine environment. "Indian Coast Guard (ICG) will be the Competent National Authority and national operational contact point for implementation of Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan under the MoU and shall respond to oil and chemical spills on behalf of Government of India. "Further, ICG Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres (MRCCs) will be the national emergency response centre for marine incidents," an official statement said. In order to promote and support protection, management and enhancement of the environment in the South Asian region, ..
10 killed as warehouse building collapses in Pakistan
A warehouse building collapsed in Pakistan's Sindh province today, killing at least 10 people including six women and injuring over 12 others, police said. The roof of the building, where dates were being prepared, caved in after an explosion in the furnace in Rohri area of Sukkur city, they said. Those killed include two minor girls and six women while the injured include teenage boys and some women. Sukkur Deputy Commissioner Raheem Bux Maitlo said that around 40 people were working in the house it collapsed. The rescue operation was on. Some people may be trapped under the rubble, he said. The incident took place following an explosion in the furnace where the dates were being prepared, the officer said, adding that there were chemicals and a gas boiler in the room. Maitlo said a case of criminal negligence will be filed against those found responsible. The warehouse had been sealed long ago and a probe will be carried out regarding its opening, he added.
Cabinet nod to agreement for protecting marine environment
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved signing of an MoU intending to promote closer cooperation between India and other maritime nations of the South Asian region - Bangladesh, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka - for protection and preservation of marine environment.
Cabinet okays India-SACEP MoU to tackle oil, chemical pollution
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and South Asian Cooperative Environment Programme (SACEP) to cooperate on the issue of oil and chemical pollution in the South Asian Seas region.As per an official release, the MoU aims to seek cooperation between India and other maritime nations including Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives and Pakistan to protect and preserve marine environment in the South Asian region.The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is assigned to be the Competent National Authority and national operational contact point for implementation of "Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan" under the MoU.The Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan was made to facilitate international co-operation and mutual assistance in preparing and responding to a major oil pollution incident in the seas around the Maritime States of Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.The ICG is also assigned to report ...
India, China discuss trans-border rivers
India and China have agreed to share hydrological information for managing their trans-border rivers in times of emergency as top Water Resource officials of the two countries wrapped up two-day talks.The 11th meeting of the India-China Expert Level Mechanism (ELM) on Trans-Border Rivers concluded on March 27 in the Chinese city of Hangzhou.Both sides reviewed the progress made in regard to data sharing since the earlier meetings of the ELM.It also included a review of the data utilization report in regard to the hydrological information provided by China to India during the flood season on Brahmaputra and Sutlej Rivers.The meeting comes at a time when former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to raise the issue of China building dam on the Brahmaputra River.Earlier in the day, while interacting with the media, the former minister said that the artificial rainwater harvesting plan of China will create even more danger for the North-eastern ...
Indian-origin man in UK jailed for killing 3 boys
An Indian-origin drunk-driver in the UK, who hit and killed three teenage boys as they walked to a birthday party in London, was handed down a 13-year jail term. The victims' parents, reacting to the sentencing, said the jail term was "an insult to the lives of their children". Jaynesh Chudasama, 28, had admitted to driving at more than two-and-a-half times over the alcohol limit on January 26 when the fatal collision occurred near a bus stop at Hayes, West London. The court heard that traces of cannabis had also been found in his car hire worker's system. Chudasama had pleaded guilty to charges of three counts of death by dangerous driving after the road collision that killed three teenage boys. Harry Rice, 17, George Wilkinson and Josh McGuinness, both 16, were instantly killed as they were hit by Chudasama's speeding car. "It is obvious that nothing any court can do can measure the loss of Josh, Harry and George for the obvious reason that their loss is immeasurable," said Judge ...
Fire breaks out in hill shrine's laddu kitchen
A fire broke out in the kitchen of the hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara near here today, but no one was injured, temple authorities said. The blaze occurred when ghee deposits on the walls of the kitchen caught fire from the embers of one of the huge ovens and spread to the tin-sheet roof, the sources told PTI. Fire-tenders arrived and doused the flames after a one-hour battle. The kitchen is located a few metres from the main temple complex. Following the mishap, laddu preparation was suspended for the day and would be resumed tomorrow, the sources said. Annually, about 10 crore laddus are made and sold at a subsidised price of Rs 25 per piece while the actual cost was Rs 33, they said.
CIL to supply coal by road to power plants located at shorter distance: Goyal
In a bid to meet the coal requirement of power houses, Coal India (CIL) subsidiaries have offered to supply the fuel by using road networks from available pithead stock to plants located within 60 km from the nearest mines, Parliament was informed today. The dispatch through road during the April-October period of 2017-18 increased by 12 million tonnes (MT) over the dispatch of 81 MT in the corresponding period of 2016-17, Union Coal Minister Piyush Goyal said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. The minister said that "in order to meet the coal requirement of power houses, the subsidiary companies of Coal India has offered supplying coal through road mode from available pithead stock to the power plants which are located within 50 km to 60 km from nearest mines". On November 1, 2017 CIL had also launched 'Grahak Sadak Koyla Vitaran App' aimed at benefiting customers who are supplied coal by road, he added. In a separate question, the minister saod that coal to power sector is ...
Woman, minor daughter killed in road accident
A woman and her 10-year-old daughter were killed while her six-year-old son was seriously injured when their motorcycle was hit by an unidentified vehicle here, police said today. The deceased were identified as Neelam Devi (35) and Arya Patel, residents of Uttar Pradesh's Fatehpur district. "Some unidentified vehicle hit a scooty on Raebareli-Faizabad national highway near Alipur village, killing a woman and her daughter. Her son Aman got injured in the accident," the police said. The vehicle fled the scene after the accident, they said, adding the police is trying to trace it.
Beijing air quality worsens as sandstorm hits Chinese cities
A sandstorm hit several Chinese cities including the capital Beijing today, worsening air quality, with authorities issuing a blue alert for dust. The sand and dust have affected Beijing and Tianjin municipality, Shanxi, Hebei, Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces, as well as inner Mongolia and southern Xinjiang, the National Meteorological Center of the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) said. It is the fourth round of sandstorm to hit the northern regions including capital Beijing in the last three days this year, the CMA said. The centre said that an area of 1.5 million square kms or around one-sixth of the country has been affected by the weather. Statistics released by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment showed that sand and dust swept northern parts of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region this morning. The air quality index (AQI) in some cities of the region reached 500. The sand and dust will last until tomorrow in the region, state-run Xinhua news agency ...
Woman co-pilot of crashed ICG chopper dead, funeral in Haryana on Thursday
The injured woman co-pilot of an Indian Coast Guard helicopter which had crash-landed in Maharashtra's Raigad on March 10, has succumbed to her severe head injuries, an official said here on Wednesday.
Nearly 300 killed in communal violence in 2015-17, Govt tells RS
Nearly 300 people, including 111 in 2017 alone, were killed in various incidents of communal violence in last three years across India, the Rajya Sabha was informed today. Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said 111 people were killed and 2,384 others were injured in 822 communal incidents in the country in 2017. In 2017, the highest 44 people were killed in Uttar Pradesh in 195 communal incidents, followed by 12 deaths in 91 such incidents in Rajasthan. In 2016, 86 people were killed and 2,321 others were injured in 703 communal incidents in the country. That year, among all the states, Uttar Pradesh had seen 162 communal incidents in which 29 people were killed. As many as 12 people were killed in 101 communal incidents in Karnataka in 2016. In 2015, 97 people were killed and 2,264 others were injured in 751 communal incidents in the country. In 2015, among all the states, the highest 22 people were killed in Uttar Pradesh in such incidents, followed by 20 in ...
27 SSB men killed in bike accidents in 3 years: Govt
A total of 27 personnel of the border guarding force SSB have been killed in motorcycle accidents in the last three years, the government informed Parliament today. Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said most of the personnel who died in these accidents were "between the age of 20 and 30 years". "27 SSB personnel are reported to have died in motorbike accidents in last three years," he said in written reply to a question the Rajya Sabha. PTI had first reported on Februaruy 4 that the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) has lost 10 times more troops in motorbike accidents in the last three years than at the borders or during operations. The force lost four personnel in operations during the period. The SSB is primarily tasked with guarding the 1,751-km long open border with Nepal and the 699-km frontier with Bhutan, apart from rendering a variety of internal security duties.
Two women die in fire
Two women cooking food in a house were today charred to death in a fire triggered by a leaking LPG cylinder, an official said. Geeta Bai (38) and Maya Bai (40) were cooking food on a stove for mourners who had gathered at the residence of one Amar Singh Yadav who died recently, said Tehsildar Gopal Soni. Both the women died on the spot, he added. Soni said local residents put out the blaze before fire tenders reached the spot. He said the bodies were sent for postmortem and further investigation is on.
FSSAI to launch campaign to spread Vit D awareness among kids
Food safety regulator FSSAI today said it will soon launch a campaign to spread awareness about availing Vitamin D through natural sunlight and intake of fortified food among school going children. The campaign -- Project Dhoop -- will be implemented in collaboration with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and private firm Kwality Ltd, the regulator said in a statement. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) informed stakeholders about the proposed campaign at an interaction on the issue of fortification. The campaign details are being worked out. According to the National Health and Family Survey (2016), about 70 per cent of pre-school children and over 50 per cent of women suffer from anaemia caused by iron deficiency. Alarming 70 per cent of the Indian population consumes less than 50 per cent of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of micronutrients. On fortification, FSSAI CEO Pawan Agarwal said, "Public health ..
Austria: Bus with South Korean tourists crashes; 24 injured
Austrian police say 24 people were injured when a bus carrying South Korean tourists crashed near Salzburg. Police in upper Austria say the Croatian driver and a South Korean tourist were seriously injured, while 22 others suffered minor injuries in today's crash. In a statement, police said the incident happened in Gosau, about 30 kilometers southeast of Salzburg. According to preliminary information the bus, which was heading to the scenic village of Hallstatt, slid off the road in snowy conditions and hit a perimeter wall. The injured were taken to hospitals in Voecklabruck, Salzburg, Bad Ischl and Gmunden. Police say a total of 35 South Korean tourists were on board.
Railway traffic hit after goods train wagon derails on Jaipur-Delhi route
Traffic on the Jaipur-Delhi railway track was hit after a goods train wagon derailed near the Alwar station in Rajasthan, an official said. The incident took place when the train was approaching the station from the yard, station Superintendent Ghadsiram Bansiwal said. Railway traffic on the Jaipur-Delhi route was affected, he said. Trains are being passed from the second track, the officer said.
New cars in EU will need automatic emergency call function
All new cars in the European Union will need to have from next week a special system that automatically calls the emergency services in case of an accident. Erik Jonnaert, the secretary general of the ACEA car manufacturers' association, said today that the eCall system "has the potential to save many lives by shortening the reaction time of emergency services." Sensors in the car automatically transmit its location, the exact time and direction it was headed in when the accident happens. The eCall system was approved by the 28-nation EU in 2015 and the three-year transition period ends this weekend.