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Time of India
2 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Earthquake mock drills conducted across Himachal Pradesh to check disaster management preparedness
Kullu: Sirens wailed and emergency teams mobilised across Himachal Pradesh on Friday as the state conducted a large-scale earthquake preparedness drill designed to test its disaster response systems and inter-agency coordination. Simulating a massive magnitude 8.0 earthquake with its epicentre in Kangra, the mock operation unfolded simultaneously in all 12 districts, affecting sites from remote mountain towns to busy city centres. In Kullu, the scenario imagined aftershocks causing destruction across seven locations. These included damage to a community health centre in Tegubehar, a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) near Manali's Aleu area, structural collapse at the Bhutnath Bridge and Tibetan Market, and dam damage in Sainj Valley. The district's deputy commissioner, Torul S Ravish, said the simulation helped assess the coordination and response time of government departments, and highlighted areas for improvement. "Mock drills allow us to identify gaps in disaster preparedness and fine-tune our coordination mechanisms. We are committed to addressing the shortcomings identified today," Ravish said. In Mandi, key sites including the Indira Market complex and Regional Hospital staged scenarios ranging from flash floods to landslides and fire incidents. The control room was activated under deputy commissioner Apoorva Devgan, with real-time supervision from police and civil officials. Emergency teams responded to simulated floods near Balichowki and canal damage in Sundernagar, while a mock fire broke out at Karsog Degree College. In Lahaul-Spiti, one of India's most remote districts, responders enacted a full rescue operation after a simulated building collapse and fire near Keylong police ground. Deputy commissioner Kiran Bhardwaj oversaw the exercise, which included ambulance evacuations, search and rescue, and triage of the injured. Parallel drills occurred in Udaipur, Kaza and Kukumseri, where scenarios included landslides and collapsed school and residential buildings. Bhardwaj said: "Our teams responded swiftly. The exercise demonstrated commendable coordination between police, paramilitary forces, medical staff and community volunteers." At Kaza's Govt Senior Secondary School, an earthquake-induced landslide simulation left 20 mock casualties, including eight seriously injured. Rescue teams, including the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), evacuated victims to a relief camp set up for treatment. Similar drills were carried out across other districts, including Shimla, Kangra, Chamba, Solan, Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur, Sirmaur and Kinnaur, each simulating region-specific disaster scenarios. The statewide exercise, coordinated by the Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority, was aimed at stress-testing the government's readiness for seismic disasters in the quake-prone Himalayan region. Authorities said this kind of drills are crucial to saving lives when real disasters strike — by improving response times, clarifying agency roles, and building public awareness in vulnerable mountain communities. MSID:: 121676469 413 | Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Concern grows for safety of Afghan woman and trans friend detained by Taliban from Kabul airport
The Taliban reportedly detained at least two members of the LGBT+ community in Afghanistan after finding out that they were on their way to Iran. Maryam Ravish, 19, and Maeve Alcina Pieescu, 23, a trans person, were taken away from the Kabul airport last Thursday as they were boarding their morning flight to Tehran, Ms Ravish's same-sex partner Parwen Hussaini told The Independent on Wednesday. Ms Ravish and Ms Hussaini, who have been in a relationship for nearly four years, were looking to escape to Iran to live away from the Taliban's scrutiny, she said. The escape was going to be documented by their friend Maeve Alcina Pieescu. The three of them were set to leave on a Mahan Air flight, scheduled to depart Kabul at 10.35am and land in Tehran by 1pm. Since the Taliban government requires women to be accompanied by a male chaperone, they had to take along a travel agent. The whereabouts of the travel agent were not immediately clear. While Ms Hussaini was able to board the flight without any trouble, Ms Ravish and Ms Pieescu were stopped by the Taliban's intelligence agents, who checked their phones and found out they were members of the queer community, said Nemat Sadat, their employer and CEO of Roshaniya, an LGBT+ community organisation in Afghanistan. 'I last heard from them when they were being taken away by Taliban's armed men inside the airport in a car,' Mr Sadat told The Independent. 'I fear that they have now been arrested by them and lodged in Taliban's custody somewhere in Kabul.' Mr Sadat, who had been working with Ms Ravish and Ms Pieescu for over a year, said he was concerned for their welfare as the Taliban prisons were known to be 'extremely harsh' for transgender people. 'The Taliban free women from prisons with some guarantees from family members but they are likely to punish, sexually harass, and even subject members of the trans community to torture in prison,' he said. 'It is very likely that Ms Maeve is being punished in the prison by the Taliban right now.' Mr Sadat said Roshaniya had spent more than $5,000 (£3,865) and several months of planning to safely evacuate the three LGBT+ members from Afghanistan. The NGO also planned to document their story of being in a same-sex relationship in Afghanistan. The Independent was shown copies of the airplane tickets, passports and visas obtained for Ms Ravish, Ms Hussaini and Ms Pieescu to leave Afghanistan. 'The actual source of this problem is rooted in the Taliban's interpretation of Islamic Sharia law, which deems homosexuality forbidden and a woman's place to be in the home, which is why Afghan women are required to have a male chaperone if they wish to leave the house and travel on their own,' Mr Sadat said. Ms Hussaini said that she and Ms Ravish fell in love in school in December 2021, shortly after the Taliban took back power in Kabul. It was difficult carrying on a same-sex relationship in the city, so they called off their relationship one year later. But they mustered the courage to get back together in 2023, Ms Hussaini told The Independent over the phone from Tehran. They were supposed to start a fresh chapter in Iran this week as they realised their relationship would not be accepted by their families in Afghanistan. 'My agony is indescribable. I knew that if I were to leave Afghanistan, it would not be without Maryam. She knew she would leave her family because they would never support us. I am spending every waking moment alone in Iran and in guilt that my partner is in prison because of our bid to escape Afghanistan,' Ms Hussaini said. The Independent has reached out to the Taliban for a comment.
The Independent
28-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Concern grows for safety of Afghan woman and trans friend detained by Taliban from Kabul airport
The Taliban reportedly detained at least two members of the LGBT+ community in Afghanistan after finding out that they were on their way to Iran. Maryam Ravish, 19, and Maeve Alcina Pieescu, 23, a trans person, were taken away from the Kabul airport last Thursday as they were boarding their morning flight to Tehran, Ms Ravish's same-sex partner Parwen Hussaini told The Independent on Wednesday. Ms Ravish and Ms Hussaini, who have been in a relationship for nearly four years, were looking to escape to Iran to live away from the Taliban 's scrutiny, she said. The escape was going to be documented by their friend Maeve Alcina Pieescu. The three of them were set to leave on a Mahan Air flight, scheduled to depart Kabul at 10.35am and land in Tehran by 1pm. Since the Taliban government requires women to be accompanied by a male chaperone, they had to take along a travel agent. The whereabouts of the travel agent were not immediately clear. While Ms Hussaini was able to board the flight without any trouble, Ms Ravish and Ms Pieescu were stopped by the Taliban's intelligence agents, who checked their phones and found out they were members of the queer community, said Nemat Sadat, their employer and CEO of Roshaniya, an LGBT+ community organisation in Afghanistan. 'I last heard from them when they were being taken away by Taliban's armed men inside the airport in a car,' Mr Sadat told The Independent. ' I fear that they have now been arrested by them and lodged in Taliban's custody somewhere in Kabul.' Mr Sadat, who had been working with Ms Ravish and Ms Pieescu for over a year, said he was concerned for their welfare as the Taliban prisons were known to be 'extremely harsh' for transgender people. 'The Taliban free women from prisons with some guarantees from family members but they are likely to punish, sexually harass, and even subject members of the trans community to torture in prison,' he said. 'It is very likely that Ms Maeve is being punished in the prison by the Taliban right now.' Mr Sadat said Roshaniya had spent more than $5,000 (£3,865) and several months of planning to safely evacuate the three LGBT+ members from Afghanistan. The NGO also planned to document their story of being in a same-sex relationship in Afghanistan. The Independent was shown copies of the airplane tickets, passports and visas obtained for Ms Ravish, Ms Hussaini and Ms Pieescu to leave Afghanistan. 'The actual source of this problem is rooted in the Taliban's interpretation of Islamic Sharia law, which deems homosexuality forbidden and a woman's place to be in the home, which is why Afghan women are required to have a male chaperone if they wish to leave the house and travel on their own,' Mr Sadat said. Ms Hussaini said that she and Ms Ravish fell in love in school in December 2021, shortly after the Taliban took back power in Kabul. It was difficult carrying on a same-sex relationship in the city, so they called off their relationship one year later. But they mustered the courage to get back together in 2023, Ms Hussaini told The Independent over the phone from Tehran. They were supposed to start a fresh chapter in Iran this week as they realised their relationship would not be accepted by their families in Afghanistan. 'My agony is indescribable. I knew that if I were to leave Afghanistan, it would not be without Maryam. She knew she would leave her family because they would never support us. I am spending every waking moment alone in Iran and in guilt that my partner is in prison because of our bid to escape Afghanistan,' Ms Hussaini said.
