Govt To Celebrate State-Level Baji Raut Jayanti Utsav In Coming Years: CM Majhi

A Meghalaya government official said that seven persons were confirmed dead in Hatiasia Songma village under the South Garo Hills district.

All the seven, including three women, were buried under a landslide.

The official said that 3 more villagers have lost their lives in Dalu of West Garo Hills, where the incessant rains since Friday midnight have led to a flood in both hills and plain areas.

A vital bridge has also been washed away in Dalu areas.

Details of the casualties and other damages are being collected, the official added.

Several teams of National and State Disaster Response Force are now carrying out the search and rescue operation in the affected areas. The official said that the road communications from Dalu to Baghmara and other places have been disrupted due to multiple landslides.

Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma held virtual review meetings on the ongoing flood situation in Garo Hills, which has affected all five districts, particularly South Garo Hills and West Garo Hills. He has directed the administration to identify alternative routes to restore road communication in the Dalu to Baghmara area, and also to seek any assistance from the government and ensure that relief is carried out in the affected areas.

The Chief Minister has also directed that the wooden bridges that have been washed away and damaged should be rebuilt. He has recommended Bailey Bridge technology for the construction. He said in the meeting that all wooden bridges have been identified in the state and would be replaced with new constructions.

Officials said that the electric supply, which was disrupted due to heavy rains and landslides, would be restored in most parts of the region by Saturday itself. The Chief Minister has directed that all efforts should be made to ease public life and ensure adequate relief operations. He has also asked the administration to be on high alert with officials to continuously monitor the situation.

--IANS
 

Pradhan said people's verdict must be accepted by all. 

"Victory and defeat are part of politics. There is no need to be elated over a win and disheartened by a loss. BJP lost elections many times. Once, it had only two LS seats in the country. In Odisha, some people termed the BJP as a signboard party. But the party has got people's blessings to serve them," said Pradhan.

He also remarked that people's verdicts should always be accepted.  The party that has been entrusted with the responsibility to serve should serve. The party chosen as a responsible opposition should implement the responsibility in true spirit. People would consider the rest, contended Pradhan. 

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Jaishankar acknowledged that his visit to Pakistan will draw enough media attention, given the nature of the relationship between both nations but clarified that this was not intended for any talks but rather necessitated by the 'compulsions' of SCO Summit.

"It (visit) will be for a multilateral event. I'm not going there to discuss India-Pakistan relations. I'm going there to be a good member of the SCO," he said at the sidelines of an event in the national capital.

"But, you know, since I'm a courteous and civil person, I will behave myself accordingly," he added.

Pakistan is hosting the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting on October 15 and 16.

Further elaborating on his visit, he said, "I am scheduled to go to Pakistan in the middle of this month. And that is for a meeting of the SCO heads of government. Normally, the Prime Minister goes to the high-level meeting with the heads of state. That's in line with the tradition. The meeting is happening in Islamabad this year as it happens to be a new member of the grouping, much like us."

Jaishankar, while delivering the Sardar Patel lecture on Governance organised by IC Centre for Governance, explained the reasons behind SCO's 'failure' in realising the grouping's aspirations and also made a veiled attack on Pakistan over its terror factories.

"Terrorism is something unacceptable. Despite the global view on it, one of our neighbours continues to support terrorism and if such is the case, then there must be consequences. It cannot be business as usual in the region. This is the reason why SAARC meetings have not taken place in recent years.

He further stated, "However, it doesn't mean that the regional activities have stopped. In fact, in the last 5-6 years, we have seen far more regional integration in the Indian subcontinent. Today, if you look at our relationships with Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka, you will see railway lines being restored, roads being rebuilt, and electricity grids being constructed."

Notably, it's for the first time in about a decade that the country's External Affairs Minister would be visiting Pakistan, even as the two nations share strained ties due to terror emanating from Pakistani soil.

Jaishankar also pitched for bringing reforms to the United Nations.

"The United Nations needs to be reformed because it is 80 years old. When it was founded, there were 51 members, and not all of them were free. We were one of the founding members. Today, there are 193 members. So, if something has changed from 51 to 193, how can the management remain the same? It doesn't make any sense. Additionally, if you look at the global economic hierarchy, that has also changed."

--IANS