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Choppers airlift stranded passengers on J-K highway

      Jammu: The Indian Air Force made dozens of sorties on Sunday with MI 17 choppers and airlifted nearly 300 passengers stranded on the 300-km long Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. According to official sources, the highway has been partially opened after six long days and the administration cleared 180 passenger buses and 100 light vehicles. Four IAF choppers were pressed into service since this morning and this was the fourth day of rescue and relief operations undertaken by the IAF. The 2.4 km Jawahar Tunnel, which is the main link between the Srinagar valley and Jammu, was thrown open on Saturday and the highway saw some traffic movement. All the 2000-odd Srinagar-bound stranded passengers have reached their homes. Nearly 700 Jammu-bound stranded passengers were also transported to Jammu on Saturday leaving a few, who were stranded in Banihal- Ramsoo stretch of the highway.

      "We hope and if the weather allows we will try and take out all the passengers from Banihal. Transport has been arranged for them and basic clearances have been obtained," said B R Sharma, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu. Choppers are facing tough resistance from fresh snowfall, rains and heavy cloudy weather while landing at Banihal. For the marooned Army jawans, the Air Force has pressed into service its biggest aircraft, IL 76. "Weather report is now on the improving trend but then considering the large amount of moisture which is there in the atmosphere, the local weather can always play spoilsport," said Manvendra Singh, Group Captain, Udhampur. Although the road stretch between Srinagar to Ramsoo has been cleared and Jawahar Tunnel is open for the traffic, two to three major landslides have hampered the rescue operations. Fortunately, according to forecasts made by the MET department, weather will improve from Monday. Boarder Roads Organisation, assisted by the Army and the Police, is working hard to clear the blockades and make the highway worthy enough to carry single or two-way traffic. A high level committee formed by the state government is also coordinating the rescue efforts.

Trapped ITBP jawans safe, contact established (Go To Top)

     Shimla: Officials overseeing the rescue operation in the wake of the avalanche in J-K have said that contact has been established with the 17 Indo-Tibet Border Police (ITBP) personnel believed to have been trapped under approximately 16 feet of snow since the last four days at Saunthin post in Chamba. All of them are reported to be in a safe and sound condition. The Deputy Commissioner of Chamba Rahul Anand, has said that a wireless set was dropped after an aerial mission in the morning, using which the trapped men talked to the ITBP headquarters. Earlier, the jawans could not contact their headquarter, as their radio system at the post had gone out of order. Inclement weather was hampering the rescue efforts and an army helicopter sent for reconnaissance could not reach the area. Anand further added that all the personnel were in good health and spirits and since there was no panic at the check post, so there were no plans to airlift them. Officials however, did not rule out of possibility of soldiers running low on their ration stocks.

Terror grips Maharashtra village following leopard attacks (Go To Top)

     Borkhind (Maharashtra): Terror has gripped a village in Nasik in Maharashtra following a leopard attack on a villager who was sleeping outside his home on Saturday. Thirty-year-old Kalu Shravan Dame, a tribal resident of Borkhind village, was sleeping when the animal attacked him, and left him wounded. KL. Sayeed, Assistant Forest Reservation Officer, said that the wounded man has identified the wild animal that attacked him as a leopard. "This man was sleeping outside his house at night when he was attacked. He has got injuries in his eyes, ears and head. We assume it was a leopard attack. He was given initial treatment at the government dispensary and now has been moved to this hospital," said Sayeed. Frightened villagers said that it was the second incident after a leopard took a girl child away. Meanwhile, forest officials have advised people against sleeping outside their homes at night. "In this village, the panther has been troubling the villagers since a long time. It had earlier picked up a child whose frock was found. Now it has attacked another man. If these people do not sleep outside, then they will not attack the villagers. We have put a cage to catch it, and have also advised the villagers not to sleep outside their houses," said DK Jadow, a forest guard. Environmentalists have in the past warned against the shrinking habitat of wild animals forcing them to move to villages and towns.