Over 94K in 8 coastal Guj dists shifted to shelters

PTI Ahmedabad

With cyclone ‘Biparjoy’ making landfall in Gujarat on Thursday, the state administration said it has so far shifted more than 94,000 persons living in eight coastal districts to temporary shelters.

Of the 94,427 persons evacuated so far, nearly 46,800 were evacuated in Kutch district, followed by 10,749 in Devbhumi Dwarka, 9,942 in Jamnagar, 9,243 in Morbi, 6,822 in Rajkot, 4,864 in Junagadh, 4,379 in Porbandar and 1,605 in Gir Somnath district, a Gujarat govt release said.

“Those who were shifted to safer places include nearly 8,900 chil-

First India Bureau Meerut dren, 1,131 pregnant women and 4,697 elderly persons. A total of 1,521 shelter homes have been set up in these eight districts. Medical teams are visiting the shelters at regular intervals,” the release informed.

Police have registered an FIR in connection with an alleged rape and assault case against four generations of a family, including the accused’s 90-year-old grandfather and great grandfather who died 20 years ago in Bulandshahr. As per the complaint filed by the 19-year-old rape survivor’s father, a 23-yearold man from their village allegedly raped the woman for nearly two years on the pretext of marriage. The girl’s father said, “Recently, when she put pressure on him to get married, the man took my daughter to a nearby farm on May 31, 2023, and raped her while two of his cousins stood guard.” A week later, on June 7, she narrated her ordeal. When we approached the man’s family, we were brutally beaten up and warned not to report the matter to police,” the girl’s father added. The woman’s father went ahead and lodged a complaint with police who filed an FIR against 10 members of the family. On Wednesday, the accused family met Bulandshahr senior SP Shlok Kumar, who directed officers concerned to look into the matter and conduct a fair probe.

CM Bhupendra Patel reached the State Emergency Operations Centre

ANI in Gandhinagar in the morning and held a meeting with top officials to review the situation as well as steps taken to provide relief to people.

Citing the latest observations of the India Meteorological Department, state Commissioner of Relief Alok Kumar Pandey informed the CM that the speed at which the cyclone is moving towards Gujarat has come down. As a result, it will make a landfall at around 9:00 pm to 10:00 pm on Thursday instead of evening with winds ranging between 115 kmph to 125 kmph, the release further said.

“To ensure continuous water supply in case of power outage, the state Water Supply department has put 25 generator sets on stand-by in Kutch, Dwarka and Jamnagar as well as five sets in Morbi,” the release said.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel held a review meeting at the State Emergency Operation Center in Gandhinagar on Thursday morning regarding Cyclone Biparjoy.

As per IMD reports, the Very Severe Cyclonic Storm, which was moving northeastward in the Arabian Sea, crossed and made landfall at the Jakhau Port in Kutch on Thursday evening.

Ahmedabad/New Delhi: Strong winds and heavy rains lashed Kutch and Saurashtra coasts as powerful cyclone Biparjoy made landfall near Jakhau Port in Gujarat on Thursday evening after churning across the Arabian Sea for more than 10 days as multi-agency response teams remained on high alert for relief and rescue operations. The landfall process will be completed by midnight, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Kutch: At least three people were injured in incidents of treefall in Gujarat's Devbhoomi Dwarka district as cyclone Biparjoy made landfall with destructive wind speed and incessant rains on Kutch coast on Thursday evening, officials said. Many trees and electricity poles were uprooted near Jakhau and Mandvi towns in Kutch district while tin sheets used in house construction were blown away. Until 7 pm there had been no report of death, said Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi.

ANI

New Delhi

Amid preparations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US, the Defence Ministry on Thursday approved the deal for acquiring the Predator (MQ-9 Reaper) drones from America for which the final decision would be taken by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).

“The deal for the Predator drones was given ap-

ANI New Delhi

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday paid homage to soldiers who lost their lives in the Galwan Valley clashes three years ago in 2020 and said their sacrifice will continue to inspire coming generations. India lost 20 troops while causing heavy damage to the Chinese Army in the clashes.

Earlier, EAM S Jaishankar said that India does not get swayed by coercion, inducements and false narratives, however, he added that India and China must find a way to step back from potential confrontation in the western Himalayas. Following the clash with the Chinese troops in June 2020, Indian Army formations

Today, we pay homage to those brave soldiers who made supreme sacrifice while protecting our nation in Galwan Valley. Their courage, bravery and sacrifice will continue to inspire coming generations.

Rajnath Singh @rajnathsingh

deployed near the Galwan Valley, along the LAC in Ladakh, have undertaken a range of activities such as surveying border areas to stop a “possible” Chinese aggression, an officer of the Indian Army said.

“The fact is the relationship is impacted, & the relationship will continue to be impacted. If there is any expectation that somehow we will normalise while border situation is not normal, that’s not a well-founded expectation,” he said.

proval by the Defence Acquisition Council meeting today. The acquisition proposal will now have to follow a pro- cedure after which it will have to be cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security,” defence sources told ANI here. The

ANI Hyderabad

Ahead of the upcoming assembly election, Telangana Chief Electoral Officer Vikas Raj and Director General of Police Anjani Kumar held a joint meeting to discuss and assess the state’s poll preparedness on Wednesday.

The meeting aimed to apprise the district collectors and superintendents of police about the upcoming general election to the Legislative Assembly in Telangana. Highlighting the significance of the upcoming election, Chief Election Officer Vikas Raj announced the visit of a delegation from the Election Commission of India (ECI). The delegation, led by Dharmendra Sharma, Senior Deputy Elec-

UNGA ADOPTS RESOLUTION TO HONOUR FALLEN PEACEKEEPERS tion Commissioner, and Deputy Election Commissioners, along with senior officers of the Election Commission, will be in Hyderabad for three days, from June 2224. Their visit is intended to evaluate and ensure preparedness for the forthcoming election.

During their stay, the ECI delegation will first engage in crucial meetings with the CEO of Telangana, the Special Po-

DAC is the highest body in the Defence Ministry to take decisions on acquisitions. All high value acquisitions are given final approval by the CCS.

The Indian Navy is the lead agency for the deal in which 15 drones will be going to the maritime force for surveillance operations in its area of responsibility. The three services also have plans of going in for same type of medium altitude and long endurance drones

from indigenous sources. Meanwhile, PM Modi is scheduled to visit the US from June 21 to 24, where US President Joe Biden will host him at the White House. This will be PM Modi’s first state visit to the US during his nine-year reign as prime minister. PM Modi during his visit will also become the first Indian PM to address the Joint Meeting of the US Congress for the second time.

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar to confer fourth National Water Awards on Saturday lice Nodal Officer, and the CAPF Nodal Officer. These discussions will provide an opportunity to exchange insights and strategies regarding election security issues.

New Delhi: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar will confer the fourth National Water Awards on Saturday. There are 41 winners, including joint winners, in 11 categories and they will be given a citation and a trophy, according to an official statement. There are cash prizes in certain categories, it said.

These discussions will provide an opportunity to exchange insights and strategies regarding election security issues.