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Time of India
02-08-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla visits disaster affected areas in Mandi
Shimla: Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla on Saturday visited the disaster-hit areas in Mandi district to assess the ground situation and express solidarity with the affected families. Shukla visited Tungal Colony near Jail Road in Mandi, one of the severely impacted areas, and interacted with the victims. He assured the families of all possible support from the administration. The governor said both state and central govts were working in close coordination to ensure timely relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction in the affected regions. He emphasised the commitment of the govt to provide shelter, food, medical aid, and other essential services to the victims without delay. Shukla also reviewed the ongoing relief operations and directed officials to strengthen their efforts to provide swift and effective assistance. He appreciated the proactive response of the district administration, disaster response teams, and local volunteers for their tireless efforts in helping those affected. Mandi deputy commissioner Apoorv Devgan briefed Shukla on the relief and rehabilitation works being carried out across the district. He also visited Panchayat Bhawan, where arrangements had been made to accommodate displaced families, and interacted with the victims. Shukla also paid a visit to historic Gurdwara Guru Gobind Singh Ji at Paddal and met the family that lost three of its members in the tragedy. MSID:: 123062873 413 | Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !
Indian Express
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
In Rajasthan village, locals say power, water cut for asking minister tough questions during visit
After Rajasthan Cabinet Minister Joraram Kumawat faced 'uncomfortable' questions from some locals in his constituency during a programme, locals have alleged that officials were sent to their village Sunday to disconnect their water and electricity connections allegedly for embarrassing the minister. On Saturday, Kumawat, the cabinet minister for Animal Husbandry and Dairy, Gopalan and Devasthan departments had reached the Panchayat Bhawan in Gurdai in his Assembly constituency Sumerpur in Pali district for the foundation stone and inauguration of several development projects. However, citing dirty roads in the village, some locals started questioning the minister. They said that the construction of roads had not started and this had led to dirt and filth. Some of the minister's supporters and local public representatives tried to intervene and said that the minister had other engagements, further enraging the locals and the minister left without giving an address. On Sunday, local officials from water and electricity departments were allegedly sent to cut connections in Gurdai. In one of the viral videos, a local is heard saying that; 'Yesterday, we village residents had kept our issues before Minister Joraram and today, he has sent a PHED team to cut connections and trouble us'. Talking to The Indian Express, the man behind the video, advocate Kiran Kumar Meena, 23, said that: 'I am a common man … We have a dhani (hutment) of about 200 homes of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. When the honourable minister came yesterday, we wanted to tell him that the roof of our local school is leaking, that we don't have a CC (cement concrete) road and wanted to give him a memorandum. However, the minister and his supporters did not take our memorandum and pushed us out, saying that he has another engagement'. It was given a political angle, he claimed. 'Sunday morning, teams were sent to cut water and electricity connections claiming that we had illegal connections. We have taken connections at home, how is it illegal? If you think it's illegal, give us notice. We have had a water connection for five years,' Meena said, adding that he was the main target 'as I had the memorandum and I was speaking (before the minister)'. 'I am merely fighting for my rights. And fighting for my rights is my right too,' he said, 'The electricity department officials too said that my connection is illegal. I said that I pay my bills and it is my 45-year-old ancestral home. The police officials also said that this is a BJP government and if you are going to protest in this manner before a minister then you will be sent to jail.' He went on to say: 'But if we won't tell our minister then whom will we tell? The minister should know that if he has become the minister, he should help people instead of sending officials after us and showing power in this manner'. He said that he is being targeted by local BJP local leaders 'because we are SC, STs and so they think we are Congress leaning, but we are just common citizens and we are following what Babsaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar told us'. Terming the action as 'BJP's dictatorship' and sharing the video of the incident, the Congress party said Sunday: 'Today, on the minister's orders, the electricity and water connections of the villagers are being cut off. They are being punished for asking questions.' Meena said he had recorded the video 'because BJP workers and government officials had been mentally torturing me since yesterday. So, I recorded a video to protect myself.' He said that eventually, as more and more locals gathered in his support, the concerned engineers left the spot, without disconnecting anything, and after getting calls from their seniors. Minister Kumawat could not be reached for comments. On Saturday, he had said that some Congress workers had entered and opposed him at the inauguration programme but that he had given instructions to officials to clean the roads in question and draw up a proposal to construct the roads too. On the accusations against the district administration, District Collector Laxmi Narain Mantri said, 'talk to the honourable minister', and added, 'We are administrative officers; we do what is due to us.' Meanwhile, Lok Sabha MP Hanuman Beniwal, smarting from electricity disconnection at his Nagaur residence — registered in the name of his brother – over unpaid dues, Sunday shared a bill purportedly showing unpaid electricity dues of Energy Minister Heeralal Nagar. According to the online bill copy shared by the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) supremo, Nagar owes as much as Rs 2.17 lakh to Jaipur Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited. 'Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones at others,' Beniwal said. Minister Nagar did not respond to calls.
The Hindu
01-07-2025
- The Hindu
Amarnath Yatra: Pilgrims make beeline for registration in Jammu
Hundreds of pilgrims from all over the country flocked Jammu on Tuesday (July 1, 2025) as the administration started on-the-spot registration of devotees for the Amarnath yatra. The yatra to the 3,880-metre shrine in south Kashmir Himalyas will formally begin on July 3. The 38-day pilgrimage will commence from the twin tracks — the traditional 48-km long Nunwan-Pahalam route in Anantnag district and the 14-km shorter but steeper Baltal route in Ganderbal district — on Thursday (July 3, 2025). "On-the-spot registration has begun for devotees arriving in Jammu city from other parts of the country for their onward journey to Amarnath. This is being done after devotees are given tokens," Sub Divisional Magistrate Manu Hansa said. While on-the-spot registration centres have been set up for unregistered pilgrims in Shalimar area of the city, a special camp for registration of sadhus has been set up at the Purani Mandi-based Ram temple complex, officials said. "The registration is being done at three centres — Vaishnavi Dham, Panchayat Bhawan, and Mahajan Sabha. Saraswati Dham is the only centre from where devotees can get the token. The centres opened at 7 a.m.," he said. The registration of sadhus has begun at the Ram temple in Jammu, officials said, adding all arrangements have been put in place for them. Over 300 sadhus from various parts of the country have arrived at the Ram temple complex, which serves as the base camp for them, they said, adding boarding and lodging arrangements have been made for them here. Amid multi-tier security arrangements, over 1,600 pilgrims have arrived at the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here for their onward journey to Kashmir tomorrow, officials said. 'Arrangements have been made to provide boarding and lodging facilities for over 50,000 people at various lodgement centres across the Jammu region, from Lakhanpur to Banihal. A total of 106 lodgement centres have been set up for the purpose,' Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar told reporters here. Mr. Kumar said the yatra will commence from Jammu on July 2 and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha will flag it off from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp amid tight security. 'The yatra will formally start from Kashmir on July 3,' he added. The enthusiasm among pilgrims arriving here for the yatra was palpable. Santokh Singh of Punjab, who checked into the Bhagwati Nagar base camp, said it is the ninth time that he is visiting the cave shrine. "I am happy to get my registration done. I will travel in the first batch from Jammu tomorrow for Amarnath and will be among the first to have darshan of the ice lingam," he said. Another pilgrim, Uma Shakla of Uttarakhand, expressed happiness over travelling in the first batch following her on-the-spot registration. "I am very happy that I am now going to pay obeisance at Amarnath in the first batch," she said. The sadhus have arrived here after completing the Char Dham Yatra to Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath shrines in Uttarakhand. "I have got my registration done here. I am going to Amarnath for the 21st time. Every year I wait for this moment to have darshan of Baba Barfani ji," a sadhu said. A total of 180 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), which is 30 more than previous years, have been deployed for the security of the annual Amarnath Yatra in Jammu division this year, a senior police officer said. One company has around 100 personnel. "The administration is ready and committed to ensuring a successful yatra this year. Jammu and Kashmir Police has made multi-tier security arrangements for the yatra," Inspector General of Police (IGP), Jammu Zone, Bhim Sen Tuti said.
United News of India
01-07-2025
- United News of India
Amarnath Yatra: ‘Bam Bam Bhole' chants in air as first batch to leave on Wednesday
Jammu, July 1 (UNI) The surroundings have turned devotional in the 'City of Temples' with the chants of 'Bam Bam Bhole' in the air as the first batch of Shri Amarnath Yatra will be flagged off on Wednesday here from Bhagwati Nagar-Yatri Niwas base camp. Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha will flag off the first batch. Devotees comprising 'sadhus' have arrived at the Yatri Niwas and other centres for the yatra leaving from here tomorrow. Chanting 'Bam Bam Bhole' and 'Har Har Mahadev', a rush of pilgrims arrived here to join the first batch amid tight security arrangements. The pilgrims after proceedings for the holy cave in Anantnag district of South Kashmir Himalayas will pay obeisance at the naturally formed ice Lingam. 'We are happy with the start of the yatra. I had got my registration done online and reached Jammu last evening,' said a devotee. Lauding the Jammu and Kashmir administration and the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board for the adequate arrangements made, he said, 'very good arrangements are made by the administration for the pilgrims whether it is registration counter, langar (community kitchen), transport or security, everything is commendable.' Authorities have also opened the token distribution centre at Saraswati Dham for pilgrims undertaking the Yatra by registering themselves through offline mode. 'The registration after getting the token can be completed at the centres at Vaishnavi Dham, Panchayat Bhawan and Mahajan Sabha opens at 7 am,' said an official. He also revealed that per day only 2,000 registrations are to be done, adding, 'the counters will close after the quota is exhausted.' Jammu Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar had recently said that Amarnath Yatra would not be allowed through railways and 60 RFID centres are also established at five prominent districts in the Jammu region. 'Yatra will not be allowed through the railways. It will be allowed only via road under proper regulation by the administration and security forces,' Kumar had said. He said that elaborate arrangements have been put in place in Bhagwati Nagar Yatra camp, where yatris would arrive before leaving in convoys for Baltal and Pahalgam Yatra base camps. 'A total of 141 lodgment centres have been established in Jammu Division with adequate civic amenities and security arrangements, while 52 langars and 60 RFID centres will function in Jammu, Kathua, Samba, Udhampur and Ramban Districts and five Registration centres with a token centre at Saraswati Dham are being made functional in Jammu,' he added. The IGP Jammu also appealed to the people to adhere to the dos and don'ts and public advisories being issued by the administration. The general public can avail live information pertaining to the holy yatra from the dedicated control rooms, he said. The authorities said foolproof security arrangements are made for the smooth conduct of the Yatra. The Lakhanpur corridor in Kathua district -- the first entry point to Jammu and Kashmir for pilgrims arriving via road -- has also been transformed into a well-equipped, multi-utility facilitation centre by the administration. A 24x7 Information Help Desk has been made operational to respond to yatris' queries and assist them throughout their stay. The traffic department has also issued advisory for the commercial and private vehicles plying on the highways and city roads at the time of movement of yatra convoys. The locals in Jammu, however, have expressed happiness over the start of the yatra saying that they are ready to welcome the devotees from all over the country. UNI VBH PRS
Hans India
01-07-2025
- Hans India
Amarnath Yatra: Token distribution for registration begins in Jammu
Jammu: Ahead of the Amarnath Yatra, the token distribution centre for offline registration of the pilgrims was operationalised here on Monday, even as the authorities successfully conducted a dry run of the arrangements along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, officials said. The 38-day pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre-high holy cave shrine of Amarnath will commence from the twin tracks — the traw ditional 48-km-long Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the 14-km shorter but steeper Baltal route in Ganderbal district — on July 3. The first batch of pilgrims will leave for Kashmir from the Jammu-based Bhagwati Nagar base camp on July 2. Authorities on Monday opened the token distribution centre at Saraswati Dham in Jammu, drawing huge enthusiasm from devotees across the country and abroad. Braving rain, pilgrims aspiring to undertake the Yatra thronged the centre to get tokens for their on-the-spot registration. "The distribution of tokens has started today. For this purpose, a token centre has been set up at Saraswati Dham, from where tokens are being distributed to pilgrims undertaking the Yatra on both routes – Pahalgam and Baltal," Manu Hansa, sub-divisional magistrate, Jammu South, told reporters here. He said after getting the tokens, the pilgrims can get themselves registered for the Yatra on Tuesday and undertake the pilgrimage beginning July 2 from the Jammu base camp in Bhagwati Nagar. "The registration will begin tomorrow at three centres — Vaishnavi Dham, Panchayat Bhawan and Mahajan Sabha. This is the only centre from where devotees can get the token. The centre opens at 7 am," he said. The SDM said the per-day quota of tokens and registration is 2,000 each, and the counters will remain open till the daily quota is exhausted. Ahead of the Yatra, the administration conducted a successful dry run of the convoy on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway to ensure a safe and trouble-free yatra, officials said.
