Latest news with #JaiBhagwan
News18
5 days ago
- News18
'My 40-Room Hotel Swept Away Like A Leaf': Uttarakhand Man Narrates Dharali Tragedy
At around 1:40 pm, chaos erupted in Dharali as a massive mudslide struck, causing widespread panic. Dharali village in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district was severely impacted by a cloudburst on Tuesday, causing devastating flash floods and mudslides. One of the casualties of the disaster was a 40-room hotel owned by Jai Bhagwan, who narrowly escaped the calamity as he was visiting a nearby temple at the time. On the day of the disaster, Bhagwan noticed that no guests had arrived at his hotel located in Dharali's market area. He decided to go to a nearby temple to celebrate a local festival. At around 1:40 pm, chaos erupted in Dharali as a massive mudslide struck, causing widespread panic. According to The Indian Express, Bhagwan, who was at the temple during the incident, described the scene, stating, 'First, there was a thunderous sound, followed by screams from the nearby village. People were whistling, but we didn't understand what was happening. Then massive waves of mud, water, and rocks came crashing through." Realising the severity of the situation, Bhagwan rushed home only to discover that the floodwaters had reached there as well. He then hurried on foot to Harsil village for safety. His four-storey hotel was completely washed away in the mudslide, a scene he later saw in a video. 'In the video, my hotel is seen being swept away like a leaf. It was a 40-room hotel," he said. For the next few hours, Bhagwan constantly checked on his family, but lost contact with them after 4 pm on Tuesday. Luckily, due to the low tourist turnout during the monsoon season, the hotels in the area, including Bhagwan's, were largely empty. 'During other months, especially during the Char Dham yatra, my hotel is fully booked. Fortunately, neither my staff nor my nephew, who manages the hotel, were present," he mentioned. Rescue Ops On In Dharali Rescue operations in the flood-affected areas of Uttarkashi continued into their third day on Thursday. So far, 190 people, including 11 army personnel, have been rescued from Dharali. However, over 50 people remain missing. A massive rescue effort is being carried out in Dharali, with multiple agencies working in coordination, including the Army, NDRF, ITBP, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Uttarakhand Police, and local administration. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Hindustan Times
‘My hotel flowed away like a leaf': Uttarakhand man who was at temple when tragedy struck
Uttarakhand's Dharali village was one of the worst-hit areas when a cloudburst led to flash floods and mudslides in Uttarkashi on Tuesday. Among the many structures that were swept away in the floods on Tuesday — several horrifying videos of which are making rounds on social media — was a 40-room hotel run by a man named Jai Bhagwan. He narrowly escaped being caught up in the tragedy as he went to visit a nearby temple. A view of the flash flood that struck Dharali village in the Kheer Gad area near Harsil following a cloudburst, in Uttarkashi on Tuesday.( File/ANI) On Tuesday, when no one turned up to his hotel in the market area of Dharali, Bhagwan went to a nearby temple to celebrate a local festival, reported The Indian Express. Around 1.40 pm, all hell broke loose on Dharali while a massive mudslide hit the town leading to panic and chaos among people, all the while Bhagwan was at the temple. Also read: Uttarkashi flash floods: 50+ still missing, 190 rescued amid devastation | 10 latest updates Describing what he witnessed to IE, Bhagwan said, 'First, there was a thunderous sound, and then I heard people screaming from the village nearby. They were whistling too, but we were clueless. Then came massive waves of mud, water, and rocks.' Unaware of the magnitude of the disaster, Bhagwan rushed to his home only to find out that the water had reached there as well. Later, he hurriedly went to Harsil village on foot. His four-storey hotel was washed away in the mudslide, a video of which he saw later. 'In the video, my hotel is seen being washed away. It was a 40-room hotel, but it flowed away like a leaf,' he said. Also read: Battered infra hobbles rescue ops in Uttarakhand; many missing Over the next few hours, Bhagwan kept calling his family to ensure that they were safe, however, they became unavailable after 4 pm on Tuesday. Fortunately, the hotels in the area were mostly empty due to low tourist footfall amid monsoon, which are otherwise usually booked during the Char Dham yatra, according to Bhagwan. 'In other months, my hotel is completely booked when the Char Dham yatra is going on. Even my staff and nephew, who manages the hotel, were not present, fortunately,' the report quoted him as saying. 190 rescued, over 50 missing in Uttarkashi The rescue operations in the flood-hit areas in Uttarkashi entered their third day on Thursday. So far, 190 people, which includes 11 army personnel, have been rescued from the Dharali area, according to officials. Over 50 people are still missing. According to the NDRF North India Command Head Gambhir Chauhan, dog squads and veterinary doctors are being sent at the disaster site along with satellite phones as communication remains a challenge there. 'It was a huge tragedy. SDRF, NDRF, ITBP, Army and local administration are involved in joint rescue efforts,' he told PTI.
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Indian Express
‘My 40-room hotel flowed away like a leaf': Uttarkashi hotelier cheats death because he was at nearby temple
As he watched no one turning up at his hotel on Tuesday, Jai Bhagwan, a hotelier at Dharali, decided to go to the temple nearby for a festival commemorating the naag devta. Some distance away from the market, the temple was one of the structures unharmed in the floods. Around 1.40 am on Tuesday, Bhagwan was attending the mela when a commotion was heard. 'First, there was a thunderous sound, and then I heard people screaming from the village nearby. They were whistling too, but we were clueless. Then came massive waves of mud, water, and rocks,' he recalled. Dharali village was struck by flash floods and mudslides, taking with it buildings in the market in the village. As operations continued to search for those missing, estimated to be over 60, the government said two bodies were retrieved so far. Bhagwan's four-storey hotel was one of the structures swept away in the deluge. 'We did not immediately understand what was happening. I tried to rush to my home, some metres away, but in 20 minutes, the water reached our house,' Bhagwan said. He later rushed to Harsil on foot. He saw the video much later, and the magnitude of the incident dawned on him. 'In the video, my hotel is seen being washed away. It was a 40-room hotel, but it flowed away like a leaf,' he said. He spent the next few hours after fleeing from Dharali calling his family members, ensuring their safety. 'I could contact them till 4 pm on Tuesday, after which they became unavailable,' he said. Bhagwan said that most hotels were empty due to the lull in tourism in the monsoon season, and the market had fewer people on the day the tragedy struck. 'In other months, my hotel is completely booked when the Char Dham yatra is going on. Even my staff and nephew, who manages the hotel, were not present, fortunately,' Bhagwan said. Rescuers say there is 50-60 feet of muck, almost like quicksand, at the site, which is near-impossible to move without heavy machinery. Aiswarya Raj is a correspondent with The Indian Express who covers South Haryana. An alumna of Asian College of Journalism and the University of Kerala, she started her career at The Indian Express as a sub-editor in the Delhi city team. In her current position, she reports from Gurgaon and covers the neighbouring districts. She likes to tell stories of people and hopes to find moorings in narrative journalism. ... Read More
The Hindu
09-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Workers join stir in Haryana, Delhi
DELHI/GURUGRAM Government employees, industrial and scheme workers, construction labourers, and farmers gathered under their respective banners and flags across Haryana on Wednesday, holding public meetings and protest marches in response to a 'Bharat Bandh' call by central trade unions in support of their 17-point charter of demands. A key highlight of the protests was the overwhelming participation of women scheme workers – mid-day meal workers, Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), and anganwadi workers – who reiterated their long-standing demands for regular jobs for regular work and equal pay for equal work. Industrial workers, those in the unorganised sector, government employees and farmers also took part in the State-wide protests to express their opposition to the four 'pro-corporate' labour codes introduced by the Centre. Haryana Roadways buses remained off several routes, and employees from the public health, revenue, and electricity departments, along with non-teaching university staff, observed the strike and stayed away from work. Constituents of the Sanyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) also joined the protests in solidarity with the workers' demand to withdraw the labour codes, while raising their own issues, including guaranteed Minimum Support Price (MSP), opposition to tariff deductions on dairy and farm products under U.S. pressure, and resistance to power sector privatisation. Trade union and farmer leaders said the massive turnout was a clear sign of public rejection of what they called the 'anti-people' policies of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) governments at both the Centre and in the State. They accused the government of ignoring people's hardships while blindly pursuing privatisation and simultaneously trying to divide society along communal and caste lines. Speaking at separate meetings in Rohtak and Nuh, All India Kisan Sabha national vice-president Inderjit Singh and trade union leader Jai Bhagwan said the scale of the strike should serve as a wake-up call for the government to withdraw the 'draconian' labour codes without delay. They called on protesters to further strengthen their unity, involve more sections of society affected by rising prices and unemployment, and prepare for larger mobilisations in the future. The All India Central Council of Trade Unions said that workers in Delhi, who are bearing the brunt of inflation, unemployment, and displacement, took out a morning procession and made every effort to ensure the success of the strike. According to a statement issued by the union, workers participated in the marches across several industrial areas of Delhi, including Wazirpur, Narela, Jahangirpuri, Okhla, Jhilmil, and Mayapuri. 'The July 9 strike stands as a symbol of the unique unity between farmers and workers. From agricultural labourers to employees in banks and insurance sectors, everyone joined the strike,' the statement said. In Gurugram, protesters marched from Kamla Nehru Park to the post office near New Railway Road, raising slogans in support of their demands. Addressing the gathering, Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) Haryana vice-president Satbir Singh condemned what he described as the Centre's 'anti-worker' and 'anti-employee' policies. 'Minimum wages should be increased, all vacancies in government departments must be filled immediately, and anganwadi, ASHA, and mid-day meal workers should be granted employee status. The demands of construction workers and retired employees must also be addressed,' Mr. Singh said. Several automotive workers' unions extended support to the Bharat Bandh and its demands, though they did not participate in the strike, with business continuing as usual in the Gurugram-Manesar-Rewari automotive belt.
Indian Express
05-07-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
Haryana's vigilance dept arrests Palwal Chief Medical Officer for accepting bribe
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau of Haryana on Thursday arrested Dr Jai Bhagwan, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Palwal, for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 1 lakh. The Gurgaon unit of the Vigilance department also recovered an additional Rs 3 lakh in cash from a cupboard at the doctor's official residence in Palwal during a raid. Dr Bhagwan has been booked under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 308(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) that deals with punishment for extortion, at the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau Police Station in Faridabad. According to the complainant who runs Sunrise Trauma Hospital in Palwal along with three others, Dr Bhagwan had been threatening to shut down their hospital, citing operational deficiencies. The CMO allegedly demanded Rs 15 lakh to allow the hospital to continue functioning, claiming he needed to pay off other officials. The complainant stated that he had already paid Rs 6 lakh about 20 days ago and an additional Rs 1 lakh on Wednesday. Dr Bhagwan then demanded the remaining Rs 8 lakh, of which the complainant arranged Rs 1 lakh for payment Thursday night, leading to the sting operation by the Vigilance Bureau. The Vigilance department has urged the public to report bribe demands by government officials to the toll-free numbers 1800-180-2022 or 1064 for prompt action. In January, the Haryana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) had recovered Rs 3.65 crore and gold worth Rs 6.5 lakh from the residence of a retired Haryana Development and Panchayat department official. The recovery came after the ACB conducted a raid at the Panchkula residence of the official in connection with a scam worth Rs 50 crore and arrested the accused, identified as Shamsher Singh, who had retired on November 30 last year. ACB officials had said that currency notes were found in a bed and almirahs at Shamsher's house at Panchkula Sector 28. The ACB had registered a case on January 24 this year against junior officials of Haryana Development and Panchayat department posted in Faridabad apart from a outsourcing services firm. An audit report of Comptroller of Auditor General (CAG) had earlier found that funds were disbursed to the Palwal District Development and Panchayat Officer for the financial years 2023-24 and 2024-25 without approval of Chief Accounts Officer of the panchayat department.
