IANS/PTI
Tremors felt across north India after Afghan quake
New Delhi, May 9 (IANS): A large part of north India felt tremors on Wednesday as an earthquake, measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale, occurred near the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border, a Met official said, adding no casualty or damage was reported. The tremors, from the quake classified as “moderate”, were also in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and the Delhi-NCR region, the meteorological department official said. No loss of life or property was reported as of now, the official added. “The epicentre of the tremor was in the Afghanistan-Tajakistan region. Its latitude was 36.9 degrees north while its longitude was 71.3 degrees east. Its depth was 96 km,” he said. “Tremors of the earthquake were felt for some seconds at 4.11 p.m.,” the official at the Meteorological Office in Shimla told IANS.
Nine killed in UP thunderstorm
Lucknow May 9 (PTI): At least nine people were killed and four others injured as a thunderstorm lashed parts of western Uttar Pradesh this evening. Four deaths were reported from Etawah, three from Mathura and one from Agra in incidents related to the thunderstorm, Principal Secretary Information Avanish Awasthi said. Another death was reported from Hathras where a 15-year-old boy was struck by lightning. Today’s storm comes days after dust storms and thunderstorms lashed several areas in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. At least 80 people died then in Uttar Pradesh alone. The earlier storm hit Agra, Aligarh, Mathura and Firozabad districts in UP. Agra was the worst hit.
Rahul Gandhi to address OBC rally in June
Chandigarh, May 9 (PTI): Congress President Rahul Gandhi will address a rally in New Delhi in June to discuss the issues of backward classes, Chairman of the AICC’s OBC Department, Tamradhwaj Sahu, today said. Sahu said the rally will be the culmination of a series of meetings he will hold with the representatives of backward classes from all the states during the next one month. “Congress President Rahul Gandhi has set the ball rolling to revive and strengthen the OBC Department of the party,” Sahu stated in a press release. After completing the spade work, a national-level rally would be held in New Delhi in mid-June which would be addressed by Rahul Gandhi, Sahu said. “In this rally, all the issues faced by the backward classes in different areas of the country will be discussed thoroughly to chalk out future course of action,” he said.Addressing the office-bearers and workers of the OBC cell of Haryana Congress today, Sahu asked them to work diligently to strengthen the cell.
Lalu gets parole to attend son’s marriage
Ranchi, May 9 (IANS): Jailed RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Wednesday secured five days parole to attend his elder son’s marriage in Patna on May 12. The parole was granted following consultations between the jail administration and the Home Department. Lalu Prasad had sought five days parole to attend Tej Pratap’s wedding. The former Bihar Chief Minister is being treated at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) here after he was brought here from the AIIMS in New Delhi on May 1. He is likely to leave for Patna by air on Wednesday evening. The RJD leader has been convicted in four fodder scam cases since 2013 — the latest being the Dumka treasury case in which a CBI court sentenced him to 14 years in jail.
Pawar ‘stuck’ in Maha auditorium
Satara (Maharashtra), May 9 (IANS): Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar was “locked up” inside an auditorium here on Wednesday after a door lock suddenly got jammed, giving anxious moments to his party workers. The incident happened after Pawar addressed a packed media conference and proceeded to leave the venue, said NCP state spokesperson Nawab Malik. The door, however, refused to budge. The handle on it appeared to have jammed the lock, preventing it from opening either from inside or outside, he said. Several NCP legislators, activists, journalists and auditorium staffers attempted to free it but without much success. The had to break the lock. The 77-year-old appeared amused by the development. After some 10 minutes, he was able to walk out of the venue.
Maoists torch 10 vehicles in Jharkhand
Ranchi, May 9 (IANS): Maoist guerrillas on Wednesday set on fire 10 vehicles employed in road construction work in Jharkhand’s Giridih district. According to the police, around 30 Maoists raided a private road construction company at Pirtand. They asked the workers to move away to one side as they poured kerosene on the vehicles and set them ablaze. The Maoists left the spot after the arson. The private firm is involved in constructing a 30-km road between Chirki and Palma in the same district. Informed sources in the police said denial of levy could be the reason behind the arson. Maoists active in 18 of the 24 districts in the state regularly torch vehicles involved in road construction work when denied levy.
SC slams ASI for not protecting Taj Mahal
New Delhi, May 9 (IANS): The Supreme Court on Wednesday slammed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for not being able to protect the iconic Taj Mahal, and asked about the steps being taken to prevent the Mughal structure from being destroyed by insects and algae. A bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta was concerned after the ASI told it that the Taj Mahal was getting infected by insects which breed in the stagnant water of the Yamuna river that flows by the monument. The ASI, which is in-charge of maintaining and repairing monuments, also told the bench that algae are a “big problem” and all those monuments which are on the river bank faces similar issues. The bench asked how could the algae reach the higher reaches of the Taj Mahal. The ASI replied: “It flew there.” “Can algae fly,” asked the court. The Taj floor was also getting discoloured. The bench pulled up the ASI saying the situation would not have been so if it had taken steps to prevent it.
