The Tribune – Cloudbursts in Uttarkashi, Manali; 8 dead, 19 missing

Two-hundred-and-fifty houses collapse in Garhwal – Tourists stranded in HP

Jotirmay Thapliyal, Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 4. Seven persons were confirmed killed and 19 others feared dead, while nearly 250 houses collapsed in a cloudburst that hit the border district of Uttarkashi in the Garhwal hills of Uttarakhand late last night. The Garhwal region bore the brunt of the natural calamity.

The state government has sounded a high alert after the MET department warned of heavy rains and sought the help of the army to mitigate the sufferings of the people.

Seven bodies have been recovered so far by the district administration. Two children died in a house collapse in Karanprayag in Chamoli district.

Landslides caused by incessant rains in hills have badly disrupted the Chardham Yatra in the state.

Uttarakhand District Magistrate Rajesh Kumar confirmed seven deaths in the cloudburst while 19 others are reported missing and feared dead. Most of the deceased were labourers working with Asi Ganga Phase II hydro power project. A lot of damage to infrastructure has also been reported.

Joshiyara and Gangori bridges were swept away in the swirling waters of the Bhagirathi. Among the houses destroyed include 25 in Gangori village, as many in Ganga Vihar colony, five in Joshiyara and as many in Dunda village. A Senior Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre (DMMC) official said the centre’s team in Uttarkashi was actively engaged in relief and rescue works. He said information about the casualties and the destruction caused due to heavy rains is being gathered from the district administration.

The District Magistrate said that the rescue and relief works were on on a war footing. Food packets are being sent to the affected people. The Indo Tibetan Border Police Force personnel and administration officials have been working round the clock, providing relief to the people. He said 250 affected families have been shifted to government offices, school buildings and ashrams.

Flow of traffic on the Rishikesh-Yamunotri and the Rishikesh-Gangotri highways has been disrupted completed. Similarly, Rishikesh-Badrinath highway has been blocked, leaving a large number of pilgrims stranded in Patalganga, Birahi and Lambaga areas.

Last year, the government had suspended the Chardham Yatra to all the four shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri following heavy landslides and torrential rains for nearly one week.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120805/main1.htm

The Tribune – Eight die in Jalandhar factory collapse

Scores of workers trapped under rubble
Army, relief teams called in
Rescue operations on war-footing

Dharmendra Joshi, Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 16. At least eight employees of a blanket-manufacturing unit were killed and 55 others hurt after a four-storey building in Focal Point Extension here collapsed late last night. Several workers are feared trapped inside even as the rescue operations are on.

Tragedy struck at Shital Fibres around 11.30 pm on Sunday when over 300 employees were working over-time, according to some workers. Most of the employees were migrants from UP and Bihar.

Factory owner Shital Vij said the exact number of workers in the unit could not be ascertained as the attendance register lay buried as well. He said around 70 workers could have been inside when tragedy struck. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Commandant SK Verma said two bodies had been extricated whereas six were spotted under a collapsed beam.

While the exact cause of the accident is not known, NDRF Assistant Commandant Musaphir Ram said the building seemed to have collapsed due to poor construction. Shital Fibres MD Abhishek Vij said the factory was constructed four years ago.

Relatives and friends of the trapped workers complained of the tardy pace of rescue operations and raised slogans against the administration. Police Commissioner Gaurav Yadav managed to persuade the mob to allow smooth conduct of operations.

Residents living near the factory were among the first to reach the site along with police and fire brigade personnel. The Army and the NDRF were called in after Deputy Commissioner Priyank Bharti and other officers realised the magnitude of the disaster.

Kuldeep Patial of nearby Guru Amar Dass Nagar told The Tribune that he along with 10-odd youths of the locality reached the accident site shortly after hearing a loud noise. They rescued 10 workers.

The entire 30-member staff of the local fire brigade led by additional divisional fire officer Kashmir Singh began rescue operation soon after. “Firemen reached the spot within five minutes of getting information and saved many precious lives,” Kashmir Singh said.

The Punjab Government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of the kin of each of the deceased, Rs 65,000 for the seriously hurt and Rs 45,000 for those who sustained minor injuries. Of the injured, 16 have been discharged, whereas 39 are still in hospitals.

The injured were rushed to the Devi Talab Mandir Hospital and Civil Hospital here. Factory owner Sheetal Vij is also president of the Devi Talab Mandir Management Committee that runs the hospital of the same name. Several teams of NGOs, including Pahal and sewadars of Dera Sacha Sauda, also joined rescue work. A 45-member NDRF team led by its Assistant Commandant Musaphir Ram reached the site from its Bathinda Headquarters. It started rescue operations at about 6.30 am.

“Rescue operations are on in full swing, but teams are finding it difficult to reach the buried survivors,” Musaphir Ram said, when asked about the slow pace of rescue operation.“We are using various type of equipment to tear through the debris and reach the trapped persons and have rescued several workers,” he said.

A column of army engineers of Vajra Corps led by Colonel Simrajeet Singh also reached the spot at 7.30 am. It also pressed sniffer dogs into service to reach out to survivors. After initial operations, another NRDF team was rushed in from Bathinda, which reached the site today afternoon.

Divisional Commissioner Anurag Verma and Deputy Commissioner Priyank Bharti were supervising rescue operations. The NDRF Assistant Commandant said it would take at least two days to clear the debris and know the exact loss of human life and property.

The Divisional Commissioner has been asked to look into the incident. Soon after visiting the site, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, SK Sandhu, said building experts would assist in the probe. He also said that all commercial and industrial buildings in the state would be put through a safety review to avoid recurrence of an untoward incident.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120417/main1.htm