state

Unseasonal rains, hailstorms damage rabi crops in Maharashtra

Feb 17
In Maharashtra, which has been reeling under severe drought conditions, the unseasonal rains along with hail storms and ghastly winds have caused huge losses to the standing rabbi crops as well as the orchards.Nanded, Parbhani and Hingoli districts in Marathawada region and Jalgaon, Nashik and Dhule districts in Western Maharashtra besides the Konkan region received heavy unseasonal rain fall over the last three days. Nagpur, Gadchiroli, Yawatmal, Chandrapur, Wardha, Amravati and Buldhanadistricts in Vidarbha region also experienced unseasonal rains causing damage to various crops including Wheat, Onion, Jawar and gram. The rains have also badly affected the mango crop in Konkan.The state government has directed the concerned local authorities to assess the loss to crops for compensating the affected farmers.

Eleven wagons of goods train derail in Bihar

Feb 17 In Bihar, eleven wagons of a goods train derailed near Manasi station in Khagaria district due to mechanical problems on Sunday. Manasi station superintendent said the derailment disrupted railway traffic on Barauni-Saharsa section forcing the authorities to reschedule departure of trains. The derailed wagons have been detached from the goods train which was moved with remaining 48 wagons to the next railway station at Badaldih in order to clear the track for movement of trains. Situation returning to normal in Kashmir valley Feb 17 In Jammu and Kashmir, the situation is returning to normal in all the major towns of Kashmir valley. The day passed of peacefully on Sunday and no incident of violence was reported from anywhere. The curfew was lifted on Saturday from all the ten districts of the valley. Additional police force has been deployed in sensitive areas to prevent any untoward incident.

Cold wave conditions continue in Uttarakhand

Feb 17
Severe cold wave conditions prevailed in Uttarakhand with fresh snowfall on Sunday morning in the higher reaches of the hills and rains in other areas. Temperature plummeted with fresh snowfall in Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, Yamunotri, Auli, Gwaldam, Munsyari and higher reaches of Dharchula. The bad weather for the last 3 days has dislocated normal life in the hill region of the State. Snowfall and landslides resulted in disruption of vehicular traffic and affected supply of drinking water, electricity and telecommunication network.

Curfew continues in Pathalgadda block of Chatra district in Jharkhand

Feb 17
In Jharkhand, curfew continues in Pathalgadda block of Chatra district imposed after clashes between two communities at Sihani village on Saturday evening. The clashes broke out when some miscreants threw stones from a place of worship on a religious procession. One person was killed in the police firing and 12 others including six policemen were injured. Five police vehicles were also damaged by the rioting crowd. AIR Correspondent reports that situation remains tense but under control. The SP and DC of Chatra are camping in the area with more than one thousand security forces. The IG and DIG of the area have also reached the spot to asses the situation.

Thousands participate in 4th Jammu Marathon

Feb 17
In Jammu and Kashmir, the 4th Jammu Marathon was held in Jammu on Sunday, in which thousands of sports lovers participated with great enthusiasm.

Minister for Youth Services and Sports Taj Mohi-ud-Din flagged off 4th Jammu Marathon from M. A. M. Stadium, Jammu organized by Board of Development for Sports in India. The Marathon was held with the theme of “Run for Jammu, Run for Pride”. This year’s Marathon was dedicated to the dignity and pride of Indian Women. Runners not only from Jammu but from the valley too took part in the prestigious event. The 8.5 Kms long marathon after passing through various parts of the city culminated at M. A. Stadium. It was divided into Male and Female categories. On the occasion, the Minister gave away prizes to the winners and runner-ups.

Death toll rises to 17 due to rains, hailstorm in Andhra

Feb 17 In Andhra Pradesh, the death toll rose to 17 due to untimely rains and hailstorm occurred at different places in the state for past two days. According to met officials, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Medak, Adilabad and Nalgonda districts have received a rainfall ranging from 70 to 100 millimetres in the last two days. State Disaster management Commissioner T Radha said standing crops in one lakh 48 thousand hectares horticulture crops in one lakh four thousand hectares were damaged. Meanwhile, Ministers Gita Reddy and Sridhar Babu are monitoring relief measures underway in the worst-hit Medak and Karimnagar districts. Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy has directed officials to provide all necessary relief and medical facilities to the affected in the rain-hit areas. Lakhs take holy dip in Narmada river on 'Narmada Jayanti' Feb 17 In Madhya Pradesh lacs of people took holy dip in the Narmada river on Sunday at various places on the occasion of 'Narmada Jayanti'. The day is celebrated with fervour as Narmada is the lifeline of the state. Our correspondent reports that the devotees began flocking to Narmada's banks since morning and after taking bath in the holy river offered prayers and floated oil lamps. Fares were organised along its banks. A 'Maha-aarti' was organised at Hoshangabad, Jabalpur's Gwarighat. Prayers were also offered in Narsinghpur, Mandla and Seoni districts. 5.2 magnitude earthquake hits Kashmir Valley Feb 17 A moderate intensity earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale hit Kashmir Valley on Sunday morning. Officials said, the tremor shook the Valley at 7:05 am causing panic among the people. An official of the MET department said the epicentre of the tremor was in the Hindukush mountains in Afghanistan. There is no report of any damage to life or property so far.