Thiruvananthapuram, July 30 (IANS) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday described the Wayanad landslide disaster as one of the worst-ever witnessed in the state as the death toll touched 93 and is expected to go higher with many injured, buried or missing.

The worst affected areas include Churalpara, Velarimala, Mundakayil and Pothukalu and the locals from these areas who managed to escape are shattered as hundreds of homes have been totally destroyed.

“The figure of the dead is not the final one as rescue operations are continuing. Till now 34 bodies have been identified and 18 have been handed over to relatives.

“The rescue operations will stop after dark. As many as 128 people have been injured and a few areas have been completely washed away as there were heavy rains in the affected areas for the last few days,” said CM Vijayan.

“It’s a tragedy which one cannot ever think of. Just imagine these people, including children, went to sleep last night and tragedy struck and many were swept away by nature’s fury.

“In Malappuram District 16 bodies were found floating in the Chaliyar River. Dismembered body parts have also been taken out of the river.

“A team led by a Lieutenant Colonel has rescued people trapped in the Mundakayil market area using a ropeway which the Army set up,” added CM Vijayan.

“The first landslide occurred at 2 A.M. and then again at 4.10 A.M. The road connecting Mundakayil to Churalpara has been washed away. The river which was flowing in the affected area has branched out and is flowing in two directions, flooding homes,” said Vijayan.

“There will be more people trapped in the area and a massive rescue effort is presently on, in which numerous agencies including the three Defence forces, NDRF, the fire department and the police are doing their best and it will continue,” added Vijayan.

“After the tragedy struck, I received calls from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, West Bengal Governor A Bose. Each of them pledged their full support for the state,” said CM Vijayan.

He said there are around 3,069 people in various camps in the affected areas.

CM Vijayan said after hearing about the tragedy, contributions to the Chief Minister Distress Relief Fund have started pouring in from various quarters.

Meanwhile the Army team, after several hours of hard work, set up a temporary Bailey Bridge and was able to rescue numerous people who were trapped at Mundakayil area.

Late on Tuesday evening an IAF helicopter also arrived after it failed to arrive due to the inclement weather in the morning.

The injured people are now being transported to hospitals in the helicopter.

–IANS

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Chennai, July 30 (IANS) Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the Tamil Nadu Police to provide protection for the screening of the Tamil film ‘Kavundapalayam’.

Justice G. Jayachandran of the Madras High Court observed that fringe groups cannot be allowed to prevent the screening of film which has been certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

Some fringe groups in Tamil Nadu had opposed the screening of the movie and threatened to damage the screens where the film was to be released as it deals with the anguish faced by parents due to the infatuation of youngsters.

The single bench judge said that the production firm or its representatives could submit details of the theatres in which the movie was to be released to the jurisdictional police and on receipt of such information, the latter must provide necessary protection.

The Madras High Court issued the direction after hearing senior counsel G. Karthikeyan for the filmmakers and Government Advocate (criminal side) K.M.D. Muhilan for the police.

Justice Jayachandran said that the CBFC should be the final authority to certify whether a movie was fit to be screened or not and that fringe elements should never be allowed to act as super censor board and prevent the release of movies that had been duly certified by the CBFC.

The judge also observed that if such fringe groups are allowed to take the law into their own hands, it would amount to violating the fundamental right to freedom of expression of the filmmakers and also their right to indulge in trade and commerce.

The court while directing the police to provide necessary protection to the screening of the movie observed that the state has a duty to protect the fundamental rights of the citizens.

–IANS

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Mumbai, July 30 (IANS) Shiv Sena (UBT) President and ex-chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention to resolve the Maratha-OBC caste quotas imbroglio that has created upheavals in Maharashtra.

Addressing media persons, Thackeray said that the power to change the reservation limit is not within the jurisdiction of the state government but vests only with the Parliament.

“The state government cannot solve the quotas issue and this must be tackled by the PM. Whatever decision the PM takes on this matter, we shall fully back it,” assured Thackeray.

He pointed out that earlier, the Bihar government had tried to give reservations exceeding the quotas ceiling but it did not stand in the courts, as that can be only done by the Centre.

“There’s no point in fighting for reservations in the state. I urge the leaders of various communities like Maraths, OBCs, Dhangars, or others to go to the PM and request him to look into the matter and whatever is the decision, we shall support it,” Thackeray declared.

Slamming the ruling MahaYuti leaders for demanding the stance of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), Thackeray retorted by asking, “Why they could not give the reservations after over two years in power.”

He reiterated that rather than blaming the Opposition which had supported the government in the Special Session of the Legislature last year on the issue, the government should invite the caste leaders for discussions.

“Instead of seeking the views of the political leaders, the government must hold serious discussions with the leaders of the different castes, work out a consensus and find a solution acceptable to all. We shall back it,” said Thackeray.

The former Chief Minister’s remarks came after some Maratha groups staged a demonstration outside his home seeking to know the SS (UBT)’s stand on the caste quotas row and later Leader of Opposition (Council) Ambadas Danve met and spoke with them.

–IANS

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Mumbai, July 30 (IANS) With an eye on the upcoming Assembly elections, the MahaYuti government in Maharashtra has decided to expand the scope of the Mukhyamantri Annapurna Yojana by including the eligible beneficiaries of the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana who can now refill three gas cylinders free of cost annually in addition to receiving a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500.

The Food and Civil Supply Department headed by NCP Minister Chhagan Bhujbal on Tuesday released the government resolution in this regard, saying the poor families will benefit greatly from this scheme.

As per the resolution, the government will provide free refill of three gas cylinders per year to about 52.16 lakh beneficiaries of the Central government’s Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana and also to the families of the eligible beneficiaries of the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana.

The government expects to cross 2.5 crore registrations by women in the age group of 21 to 60 years by the end of August under the Ladki Bahin Yojana. So far, more than 1.25 crore have been enrolled and the number is increasing by the day.

The Mukhyamantri Annapurna Yojana is targeted at the beneficiaries of the Pradhan Maitri Ujjwala Yojana which provides a subsidy of Rs 300 per cylinder. The state government proposes to provide a subsidy of Rs 530 per cylinder to cover its entire cost.

For the beneficiaries under the Ladki Bahin Yojana, the state will have to pay the entire sum of Rs 830 to cover the cost of the cylinder since they are not entitled to get a subsidy under the Pradhan Maitri Ujjwala Yojana.

‘’To avail the benefits of the scheme, the gas connection must be in the name of the woman. At present, around 52.16 lakh beneficiaries who are eligible under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana in the state are going to be eligible for the said scheme.

Also, the families of the beneficiaries who are eligible for the Ladki Bahin Yojana will be eligible to refill three gas cylinders annually for free. Only one beneficiary in a family (as per ration card) will be eligible to get the benefit and it will be permissible only to those having a gas connection,’’ read the government resolution.

The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana was launched in 2016 by the Central government to enable the women of the country to live in a smoke-free environment, providing clean fuel for cooking to poor families and improving the health of women.

A Food and Civil Supply Department official said under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, the work for providing gas connection to eligible families in Maharashtra is going on with the cooperation of the oil companies.

“At present, some beneficiaries who have gas connections other than under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana are not able to recharge the connections at the market rate. Also, it was brought to the notice of the government that after one cylinder is exhausted, many households use wood for cooking which harms the environment,’’ the official said.

(Sanjay Jog can be contacted at Sanjay.j@ians.in)

–IANS

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Jaipur July 30 (IANS) Following the death of three students due to water logging in the basement of an IAS coaching centre in Delhi, Jaipur Municipal Corporation Greater on Tuesday sealed two coaching centres in Jaipur due to lack of safety equipment in their premises.

Municipal Corporation Greater’s Mayor Saumya Gurjar made a surprise inspection at the coaching centre located in Gopalpura and directed the sealing of the Gurukripa Coaching Centre and Kalam Coaching Centre due to the non-availability of fire NOC.

“Today, we have sealed the Gurukripa Coaching Centre and Kalam Coaching Centre. The sealing action has been taken on Gurukripa Centre due to the non-availability of fire NOC and non-payment of UD tax,” said Mansarovar Zone Deputy Commissioner of Municipal Corporation Greater, Sita Verma.

She said that Kalam Coaching Centre neither had fire NOC nor fire equipment found in proper condition.

The Mayor first reached Gurukripa Coaching Centre located at Gopalpura Bypass and in the absence of fire NOC on the spot, she instructed Mansarovar Zone Deputy Commissioner and Fire Deputy Commissioner to take action and Gurukripa Coaching was sealed.

The Mayor also visited the classroom of the coaching centre where she interacted with children. The Mayor told students that they should first check whether the coaching centre in which they take admission has a fire fighting system installed or not.

Mayor Saumya Gurjar also checked the Kalam Coaching Center located in Gopalpura. This centre neither had fire NOC nor the fire equipment was found in proper condition.

“We have formed a committee to survey and inspect the security system, fire NOC, and fire fighting system of all the coaching centres operating in the Greater Area of the city. The committee will soon survey the city, prepare a report and issue a notice to coaching institutes,” the Mayor said.

On Saturday, the basement of a coaching centre in Delhi was flooded after heavy rain due to which three IAS aspirant lost their lives.

–IANS

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