West Bengal faces flood threat june 20

More than 500 areas in North and South 24 Parganas districts vulnerable

Incessant rain has led to a flood-like situation in some parts of West Bengal on Sunday, even as heavy rainfall is predicted over the next 24 hours.

Parts of Bankura, Paschim Medinipur and Hooghly districts and the Sunderbans experienced heavy rainfall over the past 72 hours. The situation is being continuously monitored and the district administrations are making announcements over loudspeakers asking people to move to safety, said Manas Bhunia, Minister for Irrigation and Waterways.

More than 500 areas in North and South 24 Parganas districts are said to be vulnerable, with breaches occurring in the embankments of several rivers.

Dr. Bhunia said that to carry out repairs, engineers of his department had been sent to the areas where breaches had occurred.

“The district administration and Irrigation and Disaster Management departments are working on the matter. A 24-hour control room has been set up,” he said.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed concern over the situation and spoke to Dr. Bhunia about the measures initiated to tackle it, he added.

The deep depression that formed over the northern Bay of Bengal and crossed the West Bengal coast on June 16 has weakened and moved over Jharkhand. However, heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected in the coming 24 hours in Bankura, Birbhum, Hooghly, Bardhaman and Murshidabad districts, said G. C. Debnath, director of the weather section of the Regional Meteorological Centre.

Heavy rain is also expected in the rest of the State, officials of the Met department said.

Meanwhile, four boats that went missing on June 16 were found during the day. The district administration established contact with 30 trawlers on Saturday, but four more remained untraced.

POWER CUTSIN RANCHI

Ranchi Staff Reporter reports:

Heavy rainfall was witnessed in many parts of Jharkhand.

The arrival of the monsoon in the State on June 15 disrupted life in many areas. In Ranchi, water gushed into low-lying areas, damaging many houses.

Adding to the residents' woes, the State capital has been witnessing 16 to 18 hours of power cuts since the last four days.

The worst sufferers are those rendered homeless in the demolition drive that started in March.

Reports said heavy rain claimed the lives of two infants living in makeshift tents.

ORISSA RIVERSSWOLLEN

PTI reports from Bhubaneswar/Balasore:

In northern Orissa, the flood situation continued to be grim for the second day on Sunday, with several low-lying areas getting submerged and paddy fields inundated.

The swollen Baitarani river affected many low-lying areas of Keonjhar, Jajpur and Dhenkanal districts, and the Subarnarekha and the Budhabalanga posed a threat to Balasore, Bhadrak and Mayurbhanj districts.

Though the level in the Jalaka was gradually receding in Balasore district, fresh breaches along its banks in Basta block caused inundation in vast paddy fields.

Water from the Subarnarekha spread to many areas in Bhograi and Jaleswar blocks.

A small bridge at Kudia on the Basta-Baliapal main road was washed away affecting road communication; at least 10 villages remained affected due to the swollen Jalaka.

However, the water level in major rivers like the Mahanadi, the Debi, the Kusabhadra, the Bansadhara and the Rushikulya remained steady.

Nawaz sold out Kashmir to Vajpayee: Musharraf

LAHORE june 19: APML head and former President Pervez Musharraf has alleged that Nawaz Sharif sold out Kashmir during the visit of Indian premier Vajpayee to Lahore as there was no mention of Kashmir in the Lahore Declaration.

In a telephone address to a gathering here Saturday, Musharraf said the Kargil expedition had revived the Kashmir issue. He said the Kashmir problem was near to its solution during his stint as president as he had made serious efforts for it.

Musharraf said the PPP and the PML-N each had ruled Pakistan for 10 years but failed to deliver. He said it was surprising that now they were asking for the third term from the public without showing any performance. He said they had nothing to their credit to win the coming elections.

He lambasted the Punjab government and claimed that they had left Rs87 billion in the kitty of the Punjab government but the pathetic performance and mismanagement by Shahbaz Sharif had left the province in Rs430 billion debt. He claimed the PPP had done enough politics and now was the time to improve its governance. He said the PPP-led government should focus on resolving public problems including unemployment, poverty and loadshedding.

APML spokesman Fawad Chaudhry said people still remembered the golden era of Pervez Musharraf. He claimed that nobody could stop Musharraf from coming to Pakistan. He said the Punjab government used police to stop people from Musharraf s address.

Rs 35 lakh seized from Sai trust's car :JUNE19

Police in Andhra Pradesh's Anantapur district on Sunday seized Rs 35.5 lakh from a car belonging to the Sathya Sai Central Trust that manages the spiritual empire of the late Sathya Sai Baba. Police seized the cash from the vehicle at Bagepally toll-gate near Hindupur town and arrested one person id 

entified as Harishnanda Shetty. A trust official was believed to have given him the money.The money was seized two days after the trust opened Yajur Mandir, the residential quarters of the Sai Baba at Prashanti Nilayam in Puttaparthi.

A police officer said the arrested person would be taken to Puttaparthi for investigations.

The trust Friday declared that it found Rs 11.56 crore, 98 kg gold and gold jewellery and 307 kg of silver articles inside which had been deposited with the State Bank of India (SBI).

The arrest and recovery of money has strengthened the apprehensions of a section of devotees that huge amounts of cash and jewellery might have been shipped out of Yajur Mandir when Sai Baba was battling for life at a hospital. The spiritual guru passed away April 24.

Some devotees claimed Yajur Mandir had hundreds of crores of cash, ornaments, diamonds and other articles gifted by his followers in India and abroad. According to them, most of the cash and other valuables were slipped out of Prashanti Nilayam when Baba was in hospital.

As the news of police seizing the cash spread, trust member and Sai Baba's nephew RJ Ratnakar visited Yajur Mandir Sunday morning. He was accompanied by another member SV Giri.

Meanwhile, police in Puttaparthi started checking of vehicles at exit points. Police reportedly seized two bags from a bus passenger but it was not immediately known if they contained cash.

Taking a serious note of the happenings, the Andhra Pradesh government said it would intervene if the trust was found not discharging its responsibilities.

Revenue minister Raghuveera Reddy, who hails from Anantapur district, said action would be taken if anyone was found guilty.

Agency:IANS

Home Minister arrives tomorrow:

Jammu, June 19: Union Home Minister P Chidambaram is visiting Jammu and Kashmir for two days beginning Monday.
Official sources said the Home Minister will be arriving Srinagar Monday evening and is expected to chair a high-level meeting of top officials of the state government, army, paramilitary forces, intelligence agencies to take stock of security situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
He will have an overall security review specifically in view of forthcoming Amarnath Yatra, official sources said.
Though the security agencies are yet to get the full details of his programme, sources said the union minister will also visit some far off districts of Kashmir Valley before flying back to New Delhi.
The minister had last visited the state in February this year during which he reviewed the security situation in the mountainous districts of Jammu region at a meeting held in Kishtwar, about 210 km northeast of here. His visit had raised the hopes that the central government was contemplating to review revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act from some districts of the state.

Shabbir Shah arrested in occupied Kashmir june 19

Srinagar, June 19 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, Indian police personnel arrested senior leader of the All Parties Hurriyet Conference, Shabbir Ahmad Shah, today, when he was on his way to Islamabad town to participate in a function to commemorate the 17th martyrdom anniversary of prominent Kashmiri scholar, Qazi Nisar Ahmad.

The policemen intercepted Shabbir Ahmed Shah at Bijbehara and took him into custody along with three Hurriyet activists.

Meanwhile, complete shutdown is being observed in Islamabad town to mark the martyrdom anniversary of Dr Qazi Nisar Ahmad.

Agency:KMC

Raghunath Bazaar shopkeeper arrested for cheating june 19

JAMMU: Owner of the Baniya Market in Raghunath Bazaar has been arrested for cheating a client, who was charged five times higher than the actual cost of a local made blanket.
The accused, Madan Lal Aggrawal, has been booked under section 420 RPC and 6/13 Hording and Profiteering Act.
A police team from the city police station conducted the raid after a Varanasi based tourist lodged a complaint with the police that he has been cheated. Police confirmed the price from other shops and consequently booked him.
Police has also objected that the accused Madan Lal Aggrawal has fraudulently styled his shop as “J and K Handloom Corporation.” It is very strange that the Department of Handloom and Handloom Corporation never objected to it. It was difficult to say at this stage if the department is ignorant on in connivance, said one of the officer conducting investigations, retaining anonymity. Tourism is main survival line for traders in the State. “Honesty in dealing and supply of genuine merchandise goes a long way in promoting trade; while on the contrary such acts of dishonesty not only bring bad name but has advers impact on the trade and harms the market as a whole’ said a veteran trader, adding such a deal was not expected from a reputed cocern like this.
The city police has seized bill books and ledgers to scrutinize the records. Police has also informed the matter to Sales Tax and other concerned departments.

50% Decline In Militancy This Year: DGP

Date: 19 June 2011

Director General of Police, Kuldeep Khoda, Saturday said that there was 50 percent decrease in militancy in Jammu and Kashmir in 2011. 'We have observed that there has been 50 percent decrease in militant related incidents in 2011,' Khoda said during a press briefing at Bakshi Stadium here. The briefing was called in connection with the 13th police martyrs memorial football tournament-2011. 'The security forces have exerted pressure on militants and the fallout of it is visible,' he said. He said the militant presence in north Kashmir was definitely more than south. 'The incidents indicate the presence of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit as having large presence. There is presence of LeT and Jaish also in the state,' Khoda said.

[courtesy: Greater Kashmir