Kedarnath Deluge: Disrupted Connectivity, Damaged Routes; Major Rescue Operation Called In

In the first phase, elections will be held in 43 Assembly constituencies.

Candidates can now submit their nomination papers both offline and online. Nomination papers will be accepted at the Returning Officer's (RO) office between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

A maximum of four persons, including the candidate, can enter the RO chamber. If the candidate belongs to a registered party, only one voter is required to propose their candidacy. However, independent candidates and those from non-recognised political parties will need ten proposers.

The candidate's name must be listed in any voter roll within the state. They can also submit their nomination forms online through the Election Commission's Suvidha App.

While submitting the nomination form, the candidate must provide three recent passport-size photos, a copy of their educational qualification certificates, a copy of the new bank account opened for election purposes, and an affidavit (Form 26) which must detail the candidate's movable and immovable assets, loans, liabilities, and any criminal record.

To keep a tab on expenses, a register will be maintained by both the candidate and the election office. Candidates are permitted to spend up to Rs 40 lakh in this election. For the nomination, general category candidates must pay a fee of Rs 10,000, while candidates from Scheduled Castes/Tribes need to pay Rs 5,000.

The seats going to polls in the first phase are Kodarma, Barkatha, Barhi, Barkagaon, Hazaribagh, Simaria, Chatra, Baharagora, Ghatshila, Potka, Jugsalai, Jamshedpur East, Jamshedpur West, Ichagarh, Seraikela, Chaibasa, Majhgaon, Jagannathpur, Manoharpur, Chakradharpur, Kharsawan.

Polling will also be held in Tamar, Torpa, Khunti, Ranchi, Hatia, Kanke, Mandar, Sisai, Gumla, Bishunpur, Simdega, Kolebira, Lohardaga, Manika, Latehar, Panki, Daltonganj, Vishrampur, Chhatarpur, Hussainabad, Garhwa, and Bhawanathpur in the first phase.

The last date for submitting nomination papers is October 25, while scrutiny was scheduled for October 28. The final date for withdrawing nominations is October 30.

The state is going to polls in two phases on November 13 and 20 and the counting of votes will be taken up on November 23.

--IANS

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The deceased was identified as Uttam Bardhan, who was undergoing treatment for cancer at the hospital. He complained of acute uneasiness because of the smoke and was admitted to the critical care unit (CCU) of the same hospital.

However, all attempts of the doctors to treat him failed and he died around 9.30 a.m. The remaining patients were safely evacuated to other wards at the hospital.

The fire was first noticed by a hospital staff who saw smoke billowing from the male surgery ward on the first floor and informed the authorities.

At least 10 fire tenders rushed to the spot to put out the fire.

Eighty patients admitted to the male surgery ward of the hospital were safely evacuated by the firemen and the personnel of the State Disaster Management Department.

State Fire Services Minister Sujit Basu rushed to the hospital and supervised firefighting operations and the evacuation of the patients.

"The fire officials and firemen have done an excellent job. They managed to bring the fire under control within a very short period, because of which losses could be averted. Fortunately, the fire broke out when the rush at the hospital was not that high," said the minister.

The hospital authorities have announced that the outdoor unit of the hospital will remain closed for the day.

The cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained, though the fire officials suspected a short circuit to be the reason for the blaze.

After receiving information about the fire, family members of the patients, who were admitted to the hospital, rushed to the spot. However, the Fire Services Department officials assured them everything was under control.

--IANS

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The extortion threat was received by the Mumbai Traffic Police, purportedly offering to resolve the ongoing face-off between the actor and the jailed Bishnoi in return for coughing out a payment of Rs five crore.

However, it also warned that if the extortion amount was not given, then Khan could meet a fate worse than businessman Baba Ziauddin Siddique, a ruling ally of Nationalist Congress Party, who was brutally shot dead in Bandra East on October 12.

The ominous message on Whats App said: “If Salman Khan wants to stay alive and wants to end the enmity with Bishnoi, then he must pay up Rs five crore. Do not take this lightly, otherwise, Salman Khan’s condition will be worse than Baba Siddique.”

Taking it seriously, the Mumbai Police have started a probe into the antecedents of the sender, their intention behind the extortion-death threats, etc, considering that last month a young couple had threatened the actor’s father Salim Khan “merely for fun”, but sparked huge alarm.

For several years, Khan and his dad have been at the receiving end of the Bishnoi gang’s threats, ultimatums, extortion demands, even a bout of a warning firing at their home in Galaxy Apartments in Bandra West, and gunning down of his close pal Siddique last week.

Interestingly, after the April firing at the Khan home, the Bishnoi gang had termed it as the “final warning”, and this time the extortion threat has called upon the actor not to take it “lightly” or face consequences akin to Siddique.

After the series of threats, the Mumbai Police have beefed up security at the Khan household, his shoots at the Goregaon Film City and other studios, his office, the family’s country house, Arpita Farms in Panvel (Raigad), and the routes the actor takes to and from work, higher scrutiny and other restrictions on his visitors.

A case has been registered at Worli police station under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for threat and extortion.

--IANS