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Joshimath: Demolition Of Damaged Hotels, Houses To Begin Today

By LokMarg 10th January 2023

Authorities at Joshimath said on Tuesday that they will start demolishing hotels and houses in the holy town, which developed cracks in the wake of the landslide and subsidence.

Hotels Malari Inn and Mount View, which have developed more cracks, will be demolished on Tuesday, officials said, adding that all residents have been safely evacuated from the ‘unsafe zones’.
The demolition of buildings will begin under the supervision of a team of experts from the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee.

A team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is on standby to assist the district administration in the demolition work, as and when required.

“Experts are on the ground and the administration will take action on their directions and advice,” said the NDRF.

“They will be demolishing these hotels for the safety of the 15-20 families still living here. Our houses have been destroyed,” said Manmohan Singh Rawat, a local.

On Monday, District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana informed that a central team was to arrive in Chamoli district to survey the damage wrought to properties by the land subsidence and suggest a way forward while coordinating with the local administration in relief and rescue efforts.

“A team from the Ministry of Home Affairs will come to Joshimath on Tuesday. Demolition of buildings will start tomorrow under the supervision of the team of Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) Roorkee,” Khurana had said earlier.

On Monday, a team from the Ministry of Jal Shakti also arrived at Joshimath.

The areas where the buildings will be demolished have been vacated by the administration after they were declared ‘unsafe zones’.

The officials of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) also called on Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami at his residence on Monday and discussed relief and rescue operations.

The officials assured the chief minister of an investigation into the geographical condition of the Joshimath area and the causes of the landslide. The state administration was also assured of being central in mobilizing disaster relief.

Meanwhile, the District Disaster Management Authority, Chamoli issued a bulletin related to disaster management in view of landslides in the Joshimath area.

According to the bulletin, cracks have been noticed in a total of 678 buildings in the Joshimath town area. In view of security, a total of 81 families have been temporarily displaced.

“Under the Joshimath city area, 213 rooms have been temporarily identified as habitable, with their capacities estimated at 1191. Also, 491 rooms/halls have been identified in Pipalkoti outside the Joshimath area, with a combined capacity of 2,205,” the bulletin said.

The administration has also distributed food kits and blankets to the affected families, as per their requirements along with the distribution of funds to procure essential household items.

A total of 63 food kits and 53 blankets have been made available for the affected locals. (ANI)

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MPs Seek More Clarity On Remote Voting During Parliamentary Panel Meet

By LokMarg 9th January 2023

Bharatiya Janata Party Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Modi led Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee for Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice on Monday discussed several issues including the Election Commission of India’s recent proposal of ‘remote voting for migrants’.

Senior officials of the Election Commission of India including Deputy Election Commissioners were present at the meeting.
In a detailed presentation before the parliamentary panel, the ECI said the matter of Remote Voting needs comprehensive analysis, apart from the technological issues.

“Necessary modifications required in The Representation of the People Acts, 1950 and 1951. The Conduct of Elections Rules 1961 and The Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 are being studied. However, such changes can only be proposed after larger stakeholder consultations,” the ECI said in its presentation.

The Election Commission further underscored before the panel that the definition of a domestic migrant for the electoral purpose has to be deliberated on and addressed.

“The District Election Officer/Returning Officer, a territory – based offices, are the most important authorities for a district/constituency as far as the elections are concerned. Now in a scenario of ‘Remote Voting’ wherein the voters of a constituency are spread across geographies, the definition and roles of DEO/RO have to be suitably modified as per the statutory need. Various other such aspects also need attention,” the Election Commission (EC) told the parliamentary panel while discussing the feasibility of remote voting.

On the technical viability of such machines, the ECI told the panel that Remote Voting Technology should be standalone like Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) and should not be network connected in any form to rule out any transmitting data in any possibility of loss, visibility of data. Accordingly, the ECI is working with the Technical Expert Committee and Electronics Corporations of India Limited (ECIL)/Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL),” sources said.

The ECI informed the parliamentary panel that all stakeholders would be taken on board before arriving at any decision on the timing and mode of vote by the eligible domestic migrants under the ‘Remote Voting’ model.

During the discussion in today’s meeting various political parties said that while electoral reforms were welcome it is important to ensure such steps taken are foolproof.

“None of us is against the reforms but there have to be specific questions that have to be answered on the viability- legal technical and legal of such a move”, a source privy to the developments of the meeting told ANI.

As per the available data from the 2011 Census, more than 45 crore Indian migrants were working away from their hometowns. This number now stands close to 60 crores.

During the meeting, the panel was informed that the ECI Officers have already made a presentation on the subject before the Parliament Standing Committee on November 25, 2O21 covering all important aspects including schematics of the Remote Voting Machine prototype.

It may be noted that the ECI has called for a meeting of all political parties on January 16 to show a demo of a multi-constituency electronic voting machine (EVM) retaining to facilitate remote voting while being able to retain all security features of the EVMs currently in use. (ANI)

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Rahul Meets Tikait During Haryana Leg Of Bharat Jodo

By LokMarg 9th January 2023

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met a delegation of farmers including Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Monday during the Haryana leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Several delegations of farmers were present in Kurukshetra to support the Congress’ foot march.
During the meeting of the Congress leader and BKU leader, several problems of the country’s farmers were discussed.

Meanwhile, Nava Raipur Kisan Andolan, going on in Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan, was also discussed during this meeting.

“Today met Rahul Gandhi ji in Haryana and discussed the problems of the farmers. In the discussion, Nava Raipur Kisan Andolan going on in Chhattisgarh, Himachal, and Rajasthan was discussed and also talked about the farmers’ issues of other states,” tweeted Tikait.

Congress MP and party’s communication-in-charge Jairam Ramesh also took to his Twitter handle and shared details about the meeting. He wrote, “Today @RahulGandhi interacted with various farmer organizations at Shahabad near Kurukshetra. Their main demand was a legal guarantee for the MSP and the actual implementation of the 2013 Land Acquisition Act. He was also against GM mustard.”

Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi resumed on Monday morning from Khanpur Kolian in the Kurukshetra district of Haryana. The foot March entered the state on January 6 after covering Uttar Pradesh over a span of three days.

Dressed in a white T-shirt, Gandhi was joined by locals amidst the morning fog.

The yatra, which is on its 115th day will reach Mohra Maulana of Ambala today night passing through Shahbad and Saha.

Taking to Twitter, party MP Jothimani said, “Tomorrow is an all-women walk in Bharat Jodo Yatra . one of the most exciting days. @RahulGandhi is very passionate and committed to women’s empowerment, looking forward!.”

Earlier in December when yatris headed towards the Peepulwada of Sawai Madhopur district in Rajasthan, Rahul Gandhi celebrated the Mahila Sashaktikaran Diwas by walking with women.

Similarly in November on the occasion of former prime minister Indira Gandhi’s birth anniversary on November 19, only women walked with Rahul Gandhi during the Yatra that day.

So far, the foot march which started from Kanyakumari on September 7, has covered parts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, and Haryana. It will culminate in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Yatra is due to enter the border state of Punjab on January 10 and will culminate in Jammu and Kashmir. (ANI)

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Full Emergency For Vistara After Hydraulic Failure, DGCA Orders Probe

By LokMarg 9th January 2023

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered an inquiry after an Air Vistara flight with around 140 passengers on board was grounded on Monday due to hydraulic failure in the aircraft.

A senior DGCA official said that the flight has been grounded and a detailed probe has been ordered into the matter. All the passengers are safe.
“Full emergency was declared for Air Vistara flight from Delhi to Bhubaneswar due to hydraulic failure,” the official said.

“Air Vistara A320 aircraft VT-TNV while operating UK-781 (Delhi-Bubneshwar) was involved in Air turn back due to Green hydraulic system low ECAM came on,” said DGCA.

The flight landed safely at 8:19 pm after the full emergency was declared at 7:53 pm.

There have been several instances of airplanes malfunctioning past few months.

On January 3, an IndiGo flight returned to the Indira Gandhi International Airport, soon after taking off for Phuket in Thailand due to a technical glitch, according to an official.

IndiGo 6E-1763 was scheduled for Thailand and the pilot took off at 6:41 am. However, the flight returned to the bay at around 7:31 am at Delhi airport after the aircraft reported a technical glitch.

“Indigo pilot asked for a precautionary landing after a technical fault was detected in the aircraft, ATC allowed to land and announced full emergency landing as per procedure,” an airport official told ANI.

Another incident of the technical glitch was reported in an IndiGo aircraft flying from Sharjah to Hyderabad which was diverted to Pakistan after the pilot reported a technical defect in the aircraft. The plane made a precautionary landing in Karachi and all the passengers were safe.

On July 14, an IndiGo aircraft flying from Delhi to Vadodara was diverted to Jaipur out of precaution after vibrations were observed in the engines of the aircraft.

In July 2022, a SpiceJet aircraft from Delhi to Dubai was diverted to Karachi due to a malfunctioning fuel indicator light in the cockpit. (ANI)

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Goa-Bound Chartered Flight Diverted To Jamnagar After Bomb Threat At ATC

By LokMarg 9th January 2023

An incoming chartered flight from Moscow to Goa was diverted to Gujarat’s Jamnagar, a move which was triggered after the Goa Air traffic controller received a bomb threat, officials said on Monday.

According to Jamnagar airport officials, the aircraft is under an isolation bay.
“Moscow-Goa chartered flight diverted to Jamnagar, Gujarat after Goa ATC received a bomb threat. Aircraft is under isolation bay,” Airport officials told ANI.

According to the Jamnagar airport director, “Total 244 passengers onboard flight was landed safely at Jamnagar (defense) airport at 9:49 pm. Currently, aircraft and baggage are under isolation/security.”

All passengers were de-boarded.

Further investigation into the matter is underway. (ANI)

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Punjab Govt Has Collapsed, AAP CM Should Resign: Chugh

By LokMarg 9th January 2023

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Tarun Chugh on Monday took a swipe at the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab and said that the administration of the state has collapsed, and the Chief Minister should “immediately resign”.

This statement came in reaction to the decision of the Punjab Civil Services (PCS) Officers Association to go on a week-long strike to protest against the arrest of IAS officer Neelima, by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB).
Chugh said this reflects how the AAP government has crumbled in the border state.

“Due to the lopsided and myopic vision of the AAP government in Punjab there is the unprecedented collapse of administration while AAP leadership has completely failed,” the BJP leader added.

Chugh requested the Punjab Governor to intervene in this crisis of the state and take a report from the AAP government about the abysmal failure of governance.

He also expressed his serious concern at the Punjab IAS officers’ delegation expressing resentment over the Punjab Vigilance Bureau’s action against IAS officer Neelima who was recently booked by VB.

A delegation of around 50 IAS officers met Chief Secretary VK Janjua and flagged their resentment before them. The officers said that the procedure had not been followed while registering the case against Neelima.

Chugh said the AAP leaders have proved themselves to be thoroughly incompetent to run the state in spite of the big mandate given by the people.

He demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for his failure to handle the bureaucracy.

“Punjab has never faced such a situation which has arisen today and indicate the loss people are going to face when officials are not at their desk,” he said. (ANI)

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Aim Of JD(U)-RJD Alliance To Defeat BJP In 2024 LS Polls: Tejashwi

By LokMarg 9th January 2023

Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav on Monday said the aim of the JD(U)-RJD alliance is to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

“The aim is not to become Prime Minister but to defeat BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls,” Tejashwi Yadav told reporters in Patna on Monday. BJP is afraid of our alliance, Yadav added.
Tejashwi Yadav said, “Our alliance is not new. Earlier it was done by Lalu ji and Nitish ji. It has been done again for the state and good governance”.

Nitish Kumar had broken off ties with BJP in August last year and taken oath again as Bihar Chief Minister after rejoining hands with Rashtriya Janata Dal and other parties in the Mahagathbandhan.

On December 31, 2022, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that the JD(U) has no problem with Rahul Gandhi’s candidature as the Prime Ministerial candidate in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, adding that the decision will be taken once the Opposition parties get down to the talking table.

We have no problem with it…When all (opposition) parties sit together and talk, then we will decide on everything,” Kumar had said.

When asked about the Bharat Jodo Yatra and the Opposition’s participation in it, the Chief Minister said that it is a program of the Congress party and the JD(U) will decide its further course of action.

“It is a program (Bharat Jodo Yatra) related to their (Congress) party…Later, when we talk, we will decide what needs to be done,” he had said.

The remarks of the Chief Minister came after Rahul Gandhi emphasized the need for the Opposition to have a central ideological framework.

“The opposition needs a central ideological framework that only Congress can provide but our role is also to make sure that opposition parties feel comfortable,” Rahul Gandhi said.

“If the opposition stands effectively with a vision, what I hear from the ground, it will become very difficult for BJP to win the elections. But the opposition has to coordinate properly and the opposition has to go to the people with an alternative vision,” the Congress leader had added. (ANI)

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Black Money No More An Issue With India: Swiss Envoy

By LokMarg 9th January 2023

Swiss ambassador to India Dr. Ralf Heckner has said black money is not an issue anymore in financial relations between Switzerland and India, as both sides have already exchanged several batches of information.

In an interview with ANI, Ralf Heckner explained that he has been the Swiss ambassador for more than two years but he heard hardly anything about black money.
“The black money issue has been dealt with by a bilateral treaty between Switzerland and India in 2018 on the automatic exchange of bank information between Switzerland and India. We had several batches of information exchange between Switzerland and India, so the black money issue isn’t the issue anymore. There is not even one cloud over bilateral relations when it comes to financial relations,” he said.

According to some reports, Indian investment in the Swiss banking system witnessed a sharp rise in 2021. Switzerland had shared information about Indian account holders in four batches since the automatic exchange of bank information agreement was signed in 2018. Traditionally, Switzerland was seen as a safe tax haven for Indian businessmen, politicians, and industrialists.

According to a release by the Federal tax administration of Switzerland, in 2021, it exchanged information on financial accounts with 101 countries. The exchange took place within the framework of the global standard on the automatic exchange of information (AEOI). Switzerland says it has committed to adopting the global standard for the international automatic exchange of information in tax matters.

The legal basis for the implementation of the AEOI in Switzerland came into force on January 1, 2017. Identification, account, and financial information are exchanged, including name, address, country of residence, and tax identification number, as well information concerning the reporting financial institution, account balance, and capital income.

The exchanged information allows the cantonal tax authorities to verify whether taxpayers have correctly declared their financial accounts abroad in their tax returns. The OECD’s Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes (Global Forum) reviews the implementation of the AEOI.

Swiss ambassador further said, “I see a lot of convergence now because sustainability is very dear to the honorable prime minister and the same applies to the Swiss government. Our government came up with a strategy for Switzerland’s financial center. The Swiss government wants to see a shift toward sustainability. We are not talking about USD 100 billion being invested in climate mitigation or climate adaptation, we are talking about trillions of US dollars being managed by Swiss banking funds, insurance, and banks that according to the Swiss government be invested in a sustainable manner.”

He also elaborated on the opportunities for Indian investors in the sustainable financial model.

“What does it mean for India, for example, if you are a sustainable Indian company, you might be the company that the Swiss center would like to invest in. You are an Indian fin-tech company and you have data on sustainable companies and sustainable business models. You might be the company of choice for banks insurances and pension funds in Switzerland to direct money flows to sustainable business solutions,” he said. (ANI)

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Kanjhawla Case: Registered FIR In Theft Case At Anjali’s House

By LokMarg 9th January 2023

Delhi Police has registered an FIR in the case of burglary at the house of Anjali Singh, the 20-year-old woman who died on January 1 after the scooter she was driving was hit by a car which then dragged her for several kilometres in the Outer Delhi area.

The reported burglary took place in the Karan Vihar house of the Kanjhawla death case Victim Anjali and the police registered an FIR in the matter on Monday.
“An incident was reported at Police Station Aman Vihar around 8.30 am today regarding a burglary at a house in Karan Vihar, Delhi by Kanta (Anjali’s grandmother). The woman lodged the complaint of stolen LED TV, some clothes and utensils. An FIR has been registered in this matter. Further investigation is underway,” a police official said.

Police added, a team from the Aman Vihar police station immediately reached the spot and found the lock of the door of the house was broken. “Crime team was called at the spot and the scene of the crime was inspected minutely,” police said.

Earlier family members of Anjali alleged that the deceased woman’s friend Nidhi, an eyewitness in the case was involved in the theft.

Speaking to ANI, Anjali’s sister said on Monday morning, “Our neighbours first informed us about the theft around 7.30 am in the morning. When we came here, we found the lock to be broken. The LCD TV and other household items, stacked under the bed were missing. The television is new. It has been two months since we purchased it.”

Another family member questioned the role of the Delhi Police. “Why was there no police yesterday in front of the house? Police had been there for the last 8 days but yesterday no one was there. We feel Nidhi is behind the theft.”

Previously Anjali’s maternal uncle claimed, that her friend Nidhi, the eyewitness in the case had hatched a conspiracy by claiming Ajali had been drunk on the day of the accident. His response came against the backdrop of claims by Nidhi to the media that Anjali was drunk on the day of the incident.

“Nidhi was hidden previously. Now she has surfaced after Anjali’s last rites. When the incident happened, did not she have the humanity to report it to the police or family? She was scared then. Is she not scared now? This is Nidhi’s conspiracy,” Anjali’s maternal uncle told ANI.

He said Anjali did not have a drinking habit and her friend was lying. “My niece did not have a drinking habit. If she was drunk that night (when the incident happened) as per Nidhi’s claim then the postmortem report would have mentioned that. It means Nidhi is lying,” he said.

20-year-old Anjali was killed in the early hours of January 1 after her scooter was hit by a car that dragged her for over 12 kilometres from Sultanpuri to Kanjhawala in Delhi.

An examination of the CCTV footage has helped the Delhi Police in tracing and recording the statement of Nidhi who was riding a pillion with the deceased at the time of the accident.

Seven persons accused in the case are now in the custody of Delhi Police.

A total of 18 teams of Delhi Police are investigating the case. (ANI)

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Joshimath: ‘Unfit For Living’ Buildings Painted With Red X

By LokMarg 9th January 2023

With the prevailing situation in Joshimath grim in the wake of the land subsidence incident, the Chamoli District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana said all dangerous buildings in the holy town have been marked with a red ‘X’ symbol.

After the district administration declared these buildings as “unsafe areas which are unfit for living”, the residents have been shifted to a safer place.

“Under the Disaster Management Act, we have marked some unsafe areas which are unfit for living. These areas include Sindhi Gandhinagar and Manohar Bagh,” Chamoli District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana told ANI on Monday.

Joshimath has been declared a ‘sinking zone’ in the wake of continuing land subsidence, with several homes and roads developing cracks over the last few days, driving residents outdoors and triggering fear.

Located at a height of 6150 feet (1875 m), Joshimath is a gateway to several Himalayan mountain climbing expeditions, trekking trails, and popular pilgrim sites like Kedarnath and Badrinath.

More than 600 houses in the area have developed cracks in the wake of the landslide and subsidence, officials said.

Taking note of the situation, the Centre constituted a team of experts from seven different organizations to study and submit its recommendations after a high-level meeting on Joshimath.

The experts from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), National Institute of Disaster Management, Geological Survey of India, IIT Roorkee, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, National Institute of Hydrology, and Central Building Research Institute have been tasked with assessing the situation and giving recommendations on preserving the holy town. (ANI)

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