Alleged harassment of women judge finds echo in LS
New Delhi: The issue of alleged sexual harassment of a woman judge by a judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court was raised in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday with a BJP member seeking condemnation of the incident by the House. Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Meenakshi Lekhi said the incident was quite shocking and showed that the women were not safe even in the hallowed precincts of the judiciary. “Right to life and right to work of a woman has been affected,” she said, adding this called for condemnation from the House and the judiciary. (PTI)
Army boat capsizes in Kosi river, 15 rescued by NDRF
Madhepura: Fifteen armymen and officials had a miraculous escape on Tuesday after a boat carrying them capsized on the swollen Kosi river near Maraut village in Bihar’s Madhepura district, an official said. The Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Vinay Kumar Singh said that an army boat carrying 15 jawans and officials on inspection duty lost control due to the strong wind and capsized. However, an NDRF motorboat noticed the army boat sinking in the river and promptly rescued the 15 armymen and officials from drowning, he said. Singh was himself on board the ill-fated army boat. (PTI)
Bus-train collision: 3 students still critical
Hyderabad: The condition of three students, injured in bus-train collision at an unmanned railway crossing in Telangana’s Medak district last month, continues to remain critical. Nithusha(7), who was undergoing treatment at Yashoda Hospital, was on Tuesday discharged while three boys in the age group of 6-7 years continued to remain critical and they were under close observation, doctors said. Sharath, Prashant, and Varun Goud are still under acute medical care management, Yashoda Hospital Chief Operating Officer Dr R Chandrasekar said in a release. Sixteen persons, including 14 school children, driver, and the cleaner of the private school bus, were killed and 20 students were injured when a passenger train hit their bus at an unmanned railway crossing at Masaipet village in Medak on July 24. Two other students subsequently succumbed to their injuries during treatment at the private hospital while the remaining students were discharged after treatment. (PTI)
Act promptly to curb drug abuse: Omar
Srinagar: Sensitising the concerned government departments in particular and the society in general about the menace of drug abuse, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday underlined the need for identifying the scale and magnitude of the problem for coordinated response for its eradication. “We should act promptly and effectively to nip the evil in bud,” Omar said chairing a high level meeting, which was also attended by a team of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC), here. The Chief Minister said all concerned along with the civil society have to work in coordination and under one umbrella to check the drugs abuse and save the young generation falling prey to the menace. An effective follow up mechanism after counselling and treatment of drug addicts also needs to be put in place to help stop the recycling of treated drug addicts, he said. The Chief Minister said a comprehensive policy to tackle the problem and chop off its tentacles is the need of the hour. He directed for drafting a policy for the State to address the issue more effectively. “We cannot wait for taking immediate measures to tackle the problem as there is every apprehension that it may attain greater magnitude and dimension if not addressed well in time in a coordinated manner,” he said. He said awareness and involvement of NGOs are the two most aspects needing focusing for the purpose.(PTI)
Odisha flood toll rises to 23
Bhubaneswar: The death toll in the Odisha flash floods caused by rain rose to 23 Tuesday, an official said. While 15 deaths were reported in July, more occurred this month, a senior official at the state flood control room told IANS. “Most of the people died due to drowning or house collapse. In Aug, four people died in Mayurbhanj district while Boudh, Sambalpur, Kandhamal and Koraput districts reported one death each,” he said. Rain continued in many parts of the state for the fourth consecutive day Tuesday disrupting road and rail traffic, triggering flash floods in several districts and leaving thousands of people stranded.State’s special relief commissioner P.K. Mohapatra said as many as 17,000 people have taken shelter at relief camps set up by the administration in different places, after rain water flooded homes and streets. “Around 7,000 people have taken shelter in the relief camps in the district town of Sambalpur,” he said. “However, the situation remained grim in the coastal districts of Jajpur and Bhadrak,” he added. (IANS)