Regional

Chennai, Oct 5 (IANS) A leopard that was rescued from a snare in a private estate by the forest department and treated in a cage at Theppakadu died of the injuries it inflicted on its stomach.

The leopard was under the treatment of forest department veterinarians, Dr. Rajesh Kumar and Dr. Sridhar at a cage in Theppakadu under the Madumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR).

The leopard was caught in the snare at a private estate in Gudalur on October 1 and on getting information a forest flying squad under the Nilgiris Forest Division rescued the animal. The owner of the estate, Mathew was arrested and remanded in judicial custody under the Wild Life Protection Act 1972.

The leopard, according to the medical report of the Madumalai Forest Division officials was recouping after the treatment but suddenly on Wednesday early morning it developed complications and died. Veterinarians, who were treating the animal, told the mediapersons that they had tried to save the animal but it succumbed to stomach injuries which it sustained when it was caught in the snare.

The veterinarians were treating the animal for the wound as well as administering Intra venal fluids to maintain its glucose level but unfortunately, the animal succumbed to its injuries.

The Madhumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) is planning to conduct awareness programmes among the public living near the forest settlements on the human-animal conflict. The Nilgiris forest division has been conducting awareness drives on the human-animal conflicts.

Several wild animals, including elephants, wild boars, porcupines, and leopards reach human habitations occasionally in areas adjoining the forest areas and the awareness is on how to handle these wild animals that stray into human habitations.

--IANS
aal/dpb

Chennai, Oct 5 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu forest department will be finalising Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based solutions to prevent elephant deaths by the end of this month. The department has already floated tenders from prospective companies to provide AI-based solutions to prevent elephant deaths in forest areas.

Sources in the state forest department told IANS that the department has already received 23 tenders and is in the process of finalising the shortlisting them.

Speeding trains had hit elephants in the Madukkarai forest range in Walayar leading to the death of several wild tuskers. Three Female elephants lost their lives after being hit by a speeding Mangalore- Chennai express train on November 26, 2021. This had led to a major confrontation between the Southern Railway and Tamil Nadu forest department with the latter even manhandling railway employees.

An RTI inquiry has revealed that 8 elephants were killed since 2010 after being hit by speeding trains. The top brasses of the forest department of Tamil Nadu and Southern Railway had met several times and in the brainstorming sessions, it was decided that Artificial Intelligence could be deployed to prevent elephants being hit by speeding trains.

Tamil Nadu forest department Secretary Supriya Sahu while interacting with media persons on the sidelines of Wildlife week celebrations said that the state forest department would rely more on technology for conservation efforts.

The Tamil Nadu forest department is also in the process of setting up digital archives and digital data centres so that information will be at fingertips.

--IANS
aal/kvd

Bengaluru, Oct 5 (IANS) India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted thunderous rainfall in Bengaluru and other districts of Karnataka on Wednesday.

Yellow alert has also been issued in Chikkamagaluru, Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Hassan, Kodagu and Shivamogga districts of the state.

Most of the districts in the state have been receiving rain in the recent past. However, IMD has stated that the rain will slow down in the regions of north Karnataka.

Bengaluru is experiencing cold weather due to the cloudy environment. The surrounding districts of Bengaluru, Kolar, Chikkaballapur and Bengaluru Rural are also likely to get light showers.

Yellow alert has also been issued in districts located in the central region of Karnataka -- Chitradurga, Davanagere districts.

Authorities in Bengaluru are keeping their fingers crossed as the drive against encroachment drive was yet not complete in areas which experienced rain fury recently.

--IANS
mka/dpb

Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh), Oct 5 (IANS) The families of 26 victims who died in the tractor trolley accident in Ghatampur on October 1, will now avail benefits of 15 government schemes of 11 departments.

As per the directions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, each of the families would be given one 'bigha' land and a sum of Rs 2,500 per month each to the nine children who lost both their parents in the accident for their studies till Class 12.

The victims' families, all of whom belonged to Kortha village, a sum of Rs 4 lakh each was given while the injured received Rs one lakh.

The government spokesman said that under the CM Awas Yojana, Rs 1.2 lakh each will be given to the 19 families that lost at least one member. A family member of Ram Janki, a cook who died in the accident, will get a job on compassionate grounds.

Kanpur district magistrate Vishak G. Iyer said, "Job cards have been issued to 19 of the 20 families that lost at least one member in the accident. A sum of Rs 2,500 per month will be provided to each of the nine children who lost both parents in the accident. Besides, pension would be given to the 40 destitute women in the village. Likewise, Antyodaya cards to five and eligible household ration cards to one family have been issued. Ration has been distributed to 20 families that lost at least one member."

"Simultaneously, the estimate of the road connecting Saadh area to Ghatampur has been approved," he said.

A villager Raju, along with his family members and around 40 other residents had gone to Chandrika Devi temple in Fatehpur in a tractor-trolley for the 'mundan' ceremony of his son on October 1. The rashly driven tractor-trolley overturned and fell into a pond when Raju and others were returning home the same evening, killing 26 persons and injuring many others.

A case for culpable homicide not amounting to murder has bene registered against Raju who has been missing since the accident.

--IANS
amita/dpb

Lucknow, Oct 5 (IANS) The Uttar Pradesh health department has made it mandatory for all private hospitals in the district to put up photos and phone numbers of doctors working there.

These details should be put up at a place where patients and their attendants can see them easily.

Besides, hospitals also have to put up information about the specialty of emergency medical officers along with their phone numbers on the display board.

Additional chief medical officer Dr A.P. Singh said, "By putting details of doctors, patients will be able to know that qualified doctors are treating them. Besides, they would know whom to contact in an emergency. It will also help health officials during hospital inspections."

He stated that as of now, hospitals must keep a licence issued by the chief medical officer (CMO) which has to be displayed during the inspection. The move came after the health department, during raids, found several unqualified doctors, paramedical staff and nurses working in hospitals.

Officials said there are around 350 hospitals and nursing homes in the city with licence.

During the health department's raids on 18 hospitals, anomalies were found in 10 hospitals and notices were served on them.

The most common anomaly was the absence of emergency medical officers from hospital.

In three private hospitals, paramedical and nursing staff were untrained.

Apart from that, a visit to two hospitals on Hardoi Road revealed that the doctors were not qualified for practising modern medicine.

They had BHMS and BAMS degrees.

Dr A.P. Singh said, "We are running a special drive against hospitals run by unqualified staff. Strict action will be taken against those who indulge in it. FIRs will also be filed against them."

--IANS
amita/dpb

Pilibhit (Uttar Pradesh), Oct 5 (IANS) Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait has criticised the UP government for its recent decision to impose a 'ban' on using tractor-trolleys for travelling.

Terming the move as 'dictatorial', Tikait claimed that the aim of the decision was to restrain farmers from reaching 'dharna' sites.

The BKU would protest against any such ban, he said.

It may be recalled that after a tractor-trolley overturned in Kanpur on October 1 claiming 26 lives, the ADG of police (traffic & road safety) in UP, Anupam Kulshreshtha, had issued an advisory on October 2 to all district police chiefs to conduct a 10-day-long enforcement drive to strictly prevent the use of tractor-trolleys for travelling.

Questioning the decision, Tikait further said, "Has the operation of trains, buses and cars been banned anywhere after accidents? What is the rationale of banning tractor trolleys which are the most common mode of transport in rural areas"

--IANS
amita/dpb

Rae Bareli, Oct 5 (IANS) A woman along with her lover were arrested in Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli for allegedly murdering her husband, police said.

The accused dressed up the scene to make it look like a case of suicide. They even planted a suicide note, saying that no one was responsible for the death.

Rae Bareli Superintendent of Police (SP), Alok Priyadarshi, said that the accused woman, Shubha Devi, 32, was married to Rajesh, who worked at an automobile company in Gujarat.

Shubha, who lived in Rae Bareli, was in a relationship with Sumair, 38.

Last week, when Rajesh returned for Dussehra holidays and came to know about his wife's extra-marital relationship, he insisted that she should accompany him to Gujarat.

This unsettled Shubha and Sumair, who first strangled Rajesh and then hung his body from the ceiling to make it appear as a case of suicide.

However, the post-mortem report said that Rajesh had been strangulated to death.

However, it was Shubha who had informed the police that her husband committed suicide at his residence in Gadaganj police station.

"A team reached the spot and took the body for post-mortem examination, but a motive could not be ascertained following which the victim's brother was contacted. He claimed that minutes before the incident, he had spoken to his brother Rajesh and the latter did not sound depressed or worried over anything," the SP said.

The police team also recovered a suicide note but handwriting experts from the Forensic Science Laboratory said that the handwriting was of someone other than Rajesh.

"We also took phone records of the victim's wife and found one specific number of a person with whom she used to speak for long at odd hours. A team rounded up the person operating the number and he was identified as Sumair," the SP added.

Sumair's handwriting sample was also taken, which matched with that on the suicide note.

"We interrogated Sumair who spilled the beans that he along with the victim's wife first strangulated Rajesh and then dressed up the scene as of a suicide," said Arvind Singh, Station House Officer, Gadaganj.

--IANS
amita/khz/

Imphal, Oct 4 (IANS) The Manipur government on Tuesday inducted 12 GPS-enabled highway patrol vehicles for the state's five hill districts to ensure smooth and incident-free movements of all vehicles, and to respond speedily to any eventuality.

Officials said that earlier in Phase-1 and Phase-2, 15 GPS-enabled highway patrol vehicles were introduced in different hill districts, and as their location could be tracked from the police headquarters in capital Imphal, prompt action could be taken as and when necessary.

After flagging off the vehicles, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh tweeted: "To further enhance security and safety on our highways, 12 more GPS-enabled vehicles for Highway Patrol, Phase-III were flagged off from my secretariat today. The state govt has been taking up these security measures to ensure advancement in trade and tourism in Manipur."

After flagging off the vehicles, he said that the GPS-enabled highway patrol vehicles are launched to enable quick response from police to any incident that takes place along the national highways in the state.

He said that the vehicles could accommodate a minimum of 10 police personnel and the patrol teams would help to stop threatening and extortion of truck and bus drivers along the national highways.

The Chief Minister said that the law and order of the state had significantly improved with the tireless service by the police and other security forces and the support and cooperation of the public. As such, there is now no need for security convoys for the transportation of oil tankers and other goods-laden vehicles in the state, he said.

Singh also said that his government had started the work of police modernisation to change the morale of police and make them people-friendly.

--IANS
sc/vd

Bhubaneswar, Oct 4 (IANS) Sporadic rain in many parts of Odisha including twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack has dampened the festive spirit of Durga Puja in the state.

Under the influence of a low pressure area formed over Bay of Bengal, heavy rainfall occurred in many places of Odisha.

Due to continuous downpour, the puja pandals, there were expecting heavy crowds, witnessed a poor footfall on Navami. People preferred to remain indoors for the heavy rain.

There were also reports that rainfall affected puja pandals at Dhamana square in Bhubaneswar, Athagarh in Cuttack district and Vyasanagar in Jajpur district.

However, people started visiting the puja pandals in Bhubaneswar city in the late evening when the rain stopped.

"If the rain could have spared the puja, we would have been able to enjoy the festival, which is being celebrated after a gap of two years," said Nalini Sahoo, a devotee.

Meanwhile, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan visited puja pandals at Saheed Nagar, Baramunda and Rasulgarh in Bhubaneswar city and offered prayers to Maa Durga.

As per IMD's bulletin, heavy rainfall of 7 to 11 cm is likely to occur at isolated places over the districts of Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, Nabarangpur, Ganjam, Puri Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Balasore and Bhadrak on Wednesday.

--IANS
bbm/pgh

Gandhinagar, Oct 4 (IANS) Two-time Congress Gujarat MLA, Harshad Ribadiya, who is tipped to join the ruling BJP soon, submitted his resignation to Assembly speaker Nima Acharya on Tuesday evening.

According to sources, the Ribadiya, MLA from Visavadar constituency, is likely to be fielded in the coming elections on the BJP symbol.

Since last few months, there is talk within political circles that six Congress MLAs will quit the party before assembly elections notification is issued and Ribadiya's resignation.

Leader of Opposition Sukhram Rathwa was surprised with the news. "I have no idea why he has resigned, he had no issues about renomination... yet why he has resigned, I fail to understand," he said.

Ribadiya contested the Assembly elections on a Congress symbol in 2007 but lost, and was elected to the Assembly for the first time in the 2014 by-elections and re-elected in the 2017 polls.

--IANS
har/vd