Page 17 - Northeast India

Sikkim flood: Part of NH-10 highway restored for 4-wheeler movement

Over two weeks after parts of Sikkim were devastated by a flash flood, the authorities have opened the damaged National Highway 10 for one-way movement for four-wheelers, according to a government notification on Saturday. People now can use NH-10, considered the lifeline for the state, to drive between Sikkim's capital Gangtok and Siliguri in West Bengal for 12 hours from 6 am. The transport department notification also provided two routes for heavy vehicles to move between these two places, avoiding the NH-10. The government has taken several measures so that prices of essential commodities such as food items and medicines do not escalate, as the suggested routes are longer than the ones used to be taken earlier, the notification said. The flash flood in the Teesta river that hit the Himalayan state in the wee hours of October 4 left at least 78 people dead in Sikkim and northern West Bengal. In its 7 pm bulletin on Saturday, the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA

65% fall in incidents of terrorism, LWE, insurgency in Northeast: Amit Shah

There has been a 65 per cent fall in incidents of terrorism, Left Wing Extremism and insurgency in the Northeast, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Saturday. He also asserted that the country's "three hotspots -- LWE (Left Wing Extremism-hit states), the Northeast and Jammu and Kashmir -- are becoming peaceful." The Narendra Modi government has made strict laws while maintaining a zero-tolerance policy against terrorism, the home minister told a gathering after paying homage to martyrs on Police Commemoration Day at the National Police Memorial here. The government has also worked towards making the best anti-terrorism force in the world by setting up the "Police Technology Mission" for modernisation of the police force, he said. Shah said the Modi government has introduced three Bills in Parliament for a comprehensive overhaul of the criminal justice system. The three legislations will replace 150-year-old laws and guarantee all due Constitutional rights to every citizen, the

Sikkim CM Tamang gives Rs 20,000 cheque to drivers of tourist vehicles

Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang handed over Rs 20,000 cheque to drivers of tourist vehicles who were stranded in North Sikkim during the flash flood which hit the Himalayan state. Over 223 tourist vehicle drivers were stranded in Lachen, Lachung and Chungthang as the road connectivity to Mangan district in the northern part of the state was cut off due to the Testa river flash flood on October 4. Distributing the cheques to the drivers of tourist vehicles on Friday, the CM hoped that the relief provided by the state government would help mitigate the hardships faced by the drivers during this difficult time. Tamang said a donation of Rs 2 crore has been received by the Sikkim Chief Minister's Relief Fund (CMRF) from Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu. He thanked Khandu and Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma for their support during this challenging time. The Sikkim CM thanked several individuals and organisations which came forward and contributed to the Chief Minister's

Security forces seize huge cache of arms in Manipur's East Imphal district

Security forces seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition during search operations in Manipur's Imphal East district, a police statement said. The arms and ammunition were seized from Shantipur, Khamenlok and Wakan areas under Sagolmang police station jurisdiction in Imphal East district on Thursday, it said. The number of seized weapons included 36 arms including three numbers of Ak 47/56, four carbine machine guns, seven SLRs and 1,615 number of ammunition and explosives including 82 numbers of hand grenades, police said. Security forces also recovered 132 war-like stores including bulletproof jackets, walkie talkie sets. The recovered weapons include three AK-47/56 rifles and carbine machine guns, the statement said. The seized items have been handed over to Sagolmang police station for further legal procedures, it said. Police also said "During the last 24 hours, the situation in the state was under control". Chief Minister N Biren Singh at the 132nd Raising Day of Manipur P

Death toll rises to 40 in Sikkim flash flood, 76 people still missing

The toll in the flash flood in Sikkim rose to 40 on Tuesday with two more bodies being found in the state, while 76 people are still missing about two weeks after the disaster, officials said. The flash flood in the Teesta river, triggered by a cloudburst in the early hours of October 4, devastated the state, affecting about 88,000 people. Sikkim has a population of about 6.10 lakh people, the lowest for any state in India, according to the 2011 census. Most of the bodies were found in Pakyong. Among the 26 bodies found in the district, 15 were of civilians while 11 were of Armymen, according to the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA). Four bodies were found in Mangan, eight bodies in Gangtok and two in Namchi, it said in a bulletin. Several bodies have been found in neighbouring West Bengal as well, carried by the Teesta to the downstream areas, officials said. Of the 76 people missing, 28 were from Pakyong, 23 from Gangtok, 20 from Mangan and five from Namchi. A

Central ministers to visit Northeast every 15 days, says MoS Som Parkash

Union Minister Som Parkash on Monday said central ministers will visit the northeastern states every 15 days and need to submit reports on various developmental activities in the region to the Prime Minister's Office. Parkash, the union minister of state for commerce and industry, visited Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh during the day and conducted a review meeting of all ongoing central schemes with the heads of offices, an official communiqu said here. The minister expressed his appreciation for the dedicated efforts of officers in achieving the goals of all flagship programmes in the district. He stressed on the importance of initiatives in promoting economic growth and development in the region. Parkash also provided valuable guidance and advice to the officers and encouraged them to keep up the good work. District planning officer Choiki Dondup, through a presentation, gave a comprehensive report on various ongoing flagship programmes in the district, providing a detailed overvie

CBI files chargesheet against six accused in Manipur viral video case

CBI had registered a case on request of Manipur Government and further notification from the Government of India and taken over investigation of Case of NSK Police Station in District Thoubal

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Union govt committed to improving health infra in Northeast: Mandaviya

He said this after inaugurating the new Regional Cancer Centre at the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) in Shillong

Sikkim floods: 1700 evacuated, rescue operations to continue, says IAF

As per the officials, Indian Air Force's Chinook and Mi-17 V5 helicopters continue operations in the flood-affected areas of Sikkim, with the induction of over 200 personnel to boost the relief effort

Special joyrides on Darjeeling toy trains during upcoming festive season

Special joyrides will be organised on Darjeeling toy trains during the festive season beginning with Durga Puja, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said on Saturday. The joyrides will be organised between Darjeeling and Ghum railway stations of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR), NFR spokesperson Sabyasachi De said. He said that four diesel joyride services will operate daily between the two stations from October 13 to January 5 next year, during which heavy tourist inflows to the hill station are witnessed. The first train of the day will depart Darjeeling at 9.20 am and reach Ghum at 10.05 am. The final train of the day will leave Darjeeling at 3.30 am and reach Ghum at 4.15 pm, commencing its return journey at 4.35 pm to reach Darjeeling at 5.05 pm. The toy trains will have three first class chair car coaches, with a total of 89 seats.

Mizoram's ruling MNF forms alliance with HPC(R) ahead of assembly polls

The ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) in Mizoram and the Hmar People's Convention (Reformation), a faction of the HPC party, on Saturday formed an alliance ahead of the November 7 assembly polls in the state. An agreement for the alliance was signed by MNF general secretary Lalmuanthanga Fanai and HPC(R) general secretary HT Vunga. According to the agreement, the two parties will work together in the upcoming assembly polls and the HPC(R) will extend full support and make efforts to ensure that MNF candidates in the three Hmar people-dominated constituencies -Tuivawl, Chalfilh and Serlui- in the Sinlung Hills Council area are elected. The MNF, if it retains power, will take steps to implement the 2018 Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) between the then Mizoram government and the erstwhile underground outfit Hmar People's Convention (Democratic), functionaries of both parties said. If the MNF returns to power, the government will "provide rehabilitation and other welfare benefits, includ

Govt launches 12th round of bidding for city gas distribution in NE states

Natural gas is used for cooking by households as piped natural gas (PNG), and as an auto fuel as compressed natural gas (CNG)

IAF chopper makes emergency landing twice in Assam's Dhubri district

An Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter on Wednesday made an emergency landing in Assam's Dhubri district and then again in Barpeta after sometime, officials said. According to a defence official, the chopper carrying a few personnel had gone to Dhubri for "some work". "As per our preliminary report, it made a precautionary landing in Dhubri," he said, declining to share further details. An IAF official from Eastern Air Command headquarters in Shillong also declined to comment, stating that she did not have information on the development. According to state government officials, the chopper had around a dozen occupants and some of them disembarked when it made an emergency landing at a field near Chapar in Dhubri. "A little later, it left Dhubri," he added. However, the same helicopter again made an emergency landing at Sidhuni village near Barpeta town in Barpeta district around 4pm, a local official said. "After some time, another chopper came with engineers. After dropping them

Indian Air Force airlifts 149 civilians stranded in flood-hit Skikim

The airlift came after six days of Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) in South Lhonak Lake, which created havoc across the Teesta basin in Sikkim and North Bengal, said the official statement

MoS Home Mishra visits flood-hit Sikkim, assures of all central assistance

The central government is closely monitoring the situation in Sikkim, where a cloudburst and floods led to severe destruction and deaths, and providing all the necessary support and assistance to the state, Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra said on Saturday. Mishra, who is currently visiting the areas hit by Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF), cloud burst and flash floods, also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are in constant touch with Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang with regard to the extent of damages and rescue and relief work. The government of India under Prime Minister Modi is standing in solidarity with the people of Sikkim and leaving no stone unturned to restore normalcy in the state, according to an official release. Within a day of the incident, Home Minister Shah has deputed Mishra to visit Sikkim. Mishra reached Gangtok on Friday night, and chaired a meeting with the Chief Secretary and head of departments ..

Excess rainfall, glacial lake outburst likely cause of Sikkim flood: NDMA

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Wednesday said the possible cause of the flash flood in Sikkim could be a combination of excess rainfall and a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) event at South Lhonak lake in North Sikkim. In a statement, the NDMA also said the Himalayan ranges are host to many glacial lakes, estimated through remote sensing techniques at about 7,500 and of these, Sikkim has around 10 per cent of which nearly 25 are assessed to be at-risk. Giving details of the incident, the NDMA said in the early hours of Wednesday, there was a sudden surge in water flow in the Teesta river, which washed away several bridges, parts of NH-10, the Chungthang Dam and has impacted several small villages, towns and infrastructure projects in the upper reaches of the river valley. The main affected districts are Mangan, Gangtok, Pakyong and Namchi. "While scientists are investigating the exact cause of the flash flood, the primary reason for the sudden surge appears

Cabinet Secy reviews situation in Sikkim, emphasises evacuation of people

Gauba's directions came while chairing the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) meeting

8 dead, 23 army men among 49 missing as flash flood wreaks havoc in Sikkim

At least eight people died and 49 others, including 23 army personnel, went missing on Wednesday after a cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in north Sikkim triggered a flash flood in the Teesta River basin, officials said. Three of the dead were washed up in north Bengal, they said. The flood in Sikkim that started around 1.30 am was made worse by the release of water from Chungthang dam, the officials said. Five bodies have been recovered from Golitar and Singtam region, Gangtok Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Mahendra Chettri said. Another official said besides the 23 army personnel, 26 civilians were also missing, while 45 people rescued, including 18 injured. A steel bridge at Singtam, known as Indreni bridge, 30 km from the state capital Gangtok has been completely washed away by Teesta river water early Wednesday, the official said. The Sikkim government, in a notification, said the natural calamity has been declared as a disaster. The release of water from the Chungthang dam led

Rs 50 lakh worth of banned phensedyl syrup seized from truck in Meghalaya

Meghalaya police has seized over 44,000 bottles of banned phensedyl cough syrup worth close to Rs 50 lakh from an abandoned truck in East Jaintia Hills district, police said on Wednesday. Acting on a tip-off, police detected two trucks coming from the opposite direction at Lumshnong both bearing the same registration numbers. While the truck proceeding from Assam stopped, the other drove rashly instead and when pursued, the driver abandoned it, district SP Jagpal Dhanoa told PTI. When police searched the truck in the presence of independent witnesses, 150 bags containing 44,900 bottles (100 ml) each of banned phensedyl syrup were recovered. The latest seizure comes a few days after the Meghalaya police busted a fake phensedyl factory in nearby West Jaintia Hills district in which 3 persons were arrested. The cost of a 100ml phensedyl bottle is around Rs 100 in India while it fetches nearly 10 times its price in Bangladesh.