U’khand reserves 33% seats for women in cooperative societies The Pushkar Singh Dhami-led government’s decision aims to ensure women’s participation in the cooperative sector Decision to benefit 55 lakh women: govt With the landmark decision, Uttarakhand has become the first state in India to approve a 33% reservation for women in cooperative societies. The govt expects the move will end the male dominance in cooperatives | p10 BHUBANESWAR l wednesday l july 31, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l late CITY EDITION ive erat o o p c i et y c o s This is expected to encourage women’s participation in the cooperative sector and promote their leadership, setting an example for other states to follow — Dhan Singh Rawat, state cooperative minister CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI 125 killed in landslides Over 90 still missing after two pre-dawn landslips rock Kerala’s Wayanad dist NDRF, Army and Air Force pressed into rescue ops Over 480 rescued Kerala declares two-day state mourning Horror story 1 Wayanad dist has been experiencing torrential rain for past three days, with rivers in spate and low-lying areas inundated 2 Two Odia docs go missing in Chooralmala A baby being rescued by the NDRF team from Mundakkai in Wayanad district on Tuesday | E Gokul IN possibly the worst natural calamity that has ever hit Kerala, two massive landslides within a span of two-and-a-half hours devoured Chooralmala and Mundakkai in Wayanad district, leaving at least 125 dead and nearly 90 missing, in the wee hours of Tuesday. As many as 481 people have been rescued. Of them, 113 are under treatment. So far, 48 bodies have been identified. The torrent was so strong that several bodies were recovered from Pothukal in Malappuram, 10 km from the epicentre of the landslide. Most of the victims were washed away in sleep as the landslides occurred at 1.30 am and 4 am. Huge boulders and uprooted trees gushed downwards to Chooralmala from Mundakkai, causing severe damage. The heavy surge of water from the hilltop changed the nature of the tiny Iruvazhinji river, submerging everything on its both banks. Several houses were destroyed, a temple and a mosque were submerged, and a school building was severely damaged. Heavy rains and the presence of mud, huge pieces of rocks and trees made rescue operations difficult. Scores of earthmovers were brought in to remove the mud and rocks. Bodies were taken out of the mud with great difficulty Around 250 people . were stranded at Mundakkai as the bridge that connected the area was washed away. Rescue workers tried to reach them using the ropeway but the exercise was time-consuming. Possibility of another landslide also slowed down rescue operations. They were finally rescued on Tuesday evening after the Army constructed a make-shift bridge across the river. Personnel from 122 Infantry Battalion of Territorial Army Modi dials Vijayan, offers all help Rahul raises the issue in Lok Sabha NGT takes note, puts Kerala on notice Stalin announces `5-cr aid for kerala Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and offered all possible help from the Centre to the state. He also announced a financial support of `2 lakh from the PM’s relief fund to the next of kin of the deceased and `50,000 for the injured Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday raised the issue in the House, stressing the need for urgent mapping of landslide-prone areas and taking mitigation measures. He said he, along with his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, would visit Wayanad soon The southern bench of the National Green Tribunal on Tuesday decided to take up a suo-motu hearing into the Wayanad landslides. The bench directed the Kerala counsel to collect data on trigger points like roads, buildings and quarries in and around the affected villages Chennai/Coimbatore: Tamil Nadu CM Stalin on Tuesday announced `5-crore aid and deployed rescue teams to assist in the relief efforts in Kerala. He also condoled the death of a labourer from Nilgiris, K Kalidass, who died in one of the landslides in Wayanad E XPR E SS N E WS S E RVIC E @ Kalpetta Cong high command pulls up Siddu, DKS over alleged scams E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bengaluru The Congress high command on Tuesday pulled up Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar over the recent political developments that caused a big embarrassment to the party . AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge met Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar along with Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and party leaders K C Venugopal and Surjewala at his residence in New Delhi. During the meeting, Kharge is said to have expressed displeasure over the alleged scams in the state. He also reviewed a report by a three-member committee headed by Congress general secretary Madusudan Mistry on the party’s performance in the Lok Sabha polls. Siddaramaiah said he explained that the opposition parties targeted him and his cabinet ministers though they have no role in the alleged scam in the ST development corporation and irregularities in allotment of sites by the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA). of the Madras Regiment, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) from different parts of Kerala, Air Force from Coimbatore and Fire and Rescue and police took part in the rescue operations that was temporarily halted in the night due to bad weather. Four relief camps have been opened to shift the survivors. The injured have been admitted to various hospitals in Wayanad. Bodies of the victims are kept at the Community Health Centre in Meppadi and WIMS Hospital. A special team of forensic doctors from Kozhikode has reached Wayanad to expedite the post-mortem of recovered bodies. DNA tests will be conducted on unidentified bodies. A police official said 32 bodies and several body parts were recovered from the banks of Chaliyar in Malappuram. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said all possible efforts will be taken to rescue the stranded people and to recover bodies from the debris. E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e Mapping tragedy Epicentre of the landslides received 572 mm rainfall in 48 hrs KERALA Wayanad Landslide origin Mundakkai Chooralmala @ Bhubaneswar Two Odia doctors, who were vacationing in Wayanad with their families, have gone missing following the massive landslides that struck the region in the early hours of Tuesday . Dr Swadhin Panda and Dr Bishnu Prasad Chinara, both residents of Choudwar in Cuttack district, had gone to Wayanad with their respective wives Swikriti and Priyadarshini. A relative said the couples were in Chooralmala - a tourist town surrounded by hills and plantations - when the calamity struck. While Swadhin and Bishnu are missing, their wives have sustained injuries and admitted to the hospital there. Swikriti’s condition is stated to be serious. Special relief commissioner Satyabrata Sahu said on the direction of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, officials of the Cuttack administration visited the house of Dr Bishnu on the day and sought to know more details about them. “We are in constant touch with the Kerala government to gain information on the missing doctors and the condition of their wives who are undergoing treatment there,” said Sahu. Around 1.30 am on Tuesday, massive landslide occurs at Mundakkai in Meppadi grama panchayat. Gushing waters and debris sweep away the entire village Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday sought to emphasise that no state was denied funding in the General Budget, while replying to a discussion in the Lok Sabha. Sitharaman termed as misleading claims by the Opposition that if any state is not named in the Budget speech, then it does not get any budgetary allocation. She recalled that previous Budgets presented by the UPA, too, did not include the names of all states. “I have been picking up on Budget speeches since 2004- 2005, 2005-2006, 2006-2007, 20072008 and so on. The Budget of 2004-2005 did not take the name of 17 states. Did money not go to those 17 states?” she asked. Later, the Lok Sabha approved the `48.21-lakh crore Budget. Mocking the UPA, Sitharaman said leaders educated at prestigious institutions like Harvard and Oxford were in charge during the UPA government but failed to recognise the right time to withdraw stimulus measures, resulting in high inflation from 2009 to 2013. In contrast, she stated that inflation under the NDA government has not been as severely impacted by Covid-19. Manu pens Paris epic T HERE was a time, not too long ago, when India would start holding its breath right after the opening ceremony, wondering when that elusive Olympic medal would come. When it came, it would spark wild celebrations. Indeed, until 2008, only once in the history of independent India had its Olympians come home with more than a single medal. If anyone needs any more evidence that those times are long past, then just look at Manu Bhaker. Most athletes spend years training, hoping and praying for an Olympic medal. A TNIE @ olympics select few get their wish. There’s a more exclusive Indian club; athletes who win multiple Olympic medals across their career. With two medals Indraneel Das in three days, Manu has founded another club — Paris first from Independent India to win multiple medals in a single Olympics. Unless one extends the definition of being an Indian to include Norman Pritchard who competed under the flag of British India in 1900, Manu is in a league of her own. For a nation that won only two medals in Rio in 2016, Manu’s achievement transcends reality and borders fantasy “The . feeling is still surreal. I did not think I would be winning two medals in one Olympics,” said Manu after winning the bronze medal with Sarabjot Singh in the mixed More on P13 10m air pistol event.  3 Another landslide at 4 am (trigger spot yet to be ascertained) diverts River Iruvazhinji, resulting in flash floods washing away Chooralmala village, 3 km away. Bridge connecting Chooralmala destroyed, stranding hundreds 4 Debris flow through Soochippara and merge with River Chaliyar. 32 bodies recovered from the neighbouring Malappuram No state deprived of funds, says FM in LS M o n i k a Ya d a v @ New Delhi HER-STORY Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman replies to the debate on the Budget in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday | PTI Comparing NDA, UPA inflation rates “Inflation during NDA-I stood at 4.5%, NDA-II at 5.7% and both combined 5.1%, which is way less than 8% during UPA,” Sitharaman said. She added that the Modi government also reduced fuel prices twice, introduced Bharat brand atta, rice and pulses Manu Bhaker (L) and Sarabjot Singh won bronze in mixed 10m air pistol event on Tuesday | Express DIG Rajesh Pandit suspended by govt E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar The Odisha government on Tuesday suspended DIG-ranked officer Rajesh Uttamrao Pandit on charges of ‘misconduct’ following an unsavoury incident that took place last week in the city . Basing on a confidential report by the Director General of Police (DGP), the government placed Pandit under suspension pending disciplinary proceeding. He was serving as the DIG of Fire Services and Home Guards. “A disciplinary proceeding against Pandit is contemplated on the grounds of grave misconduct as a member of the Indian Police Service,” said the order. During his suspension, Pandit’s posting has been fixed at state police headquarters in Cuttack. The Home department has asked the officer not to leave the headquarters without obtaining permission from the DGP.  The incident took place on July 27 when Pandit had reportedly gone to the residence of an inspector posted in Crime Branch at about 8.30 pm. Sources said before submitting the confidential report about the matter to the Home department, DGP Arun Kumar Sarangi collected the details about the incident from the local police. Before getting promoted to the rank of DIG in December 2020, Pandit was posted as DIG incharge, Koraput. He had recently returned from study leave in the US, said sources.