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Weatherman forecasts thunderstorms, disaster management authority issues warning

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Weatherman forecasts thunderstorms, disaster management authority issues warning

With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting thunderstorms and gusty winds in several Indian states on Friday, May 4, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) under the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a warning for massive thunderstorm in parts of north India for the next 72 hours.

On Monday, May 7, IMD predicts thunderstorm, accompanied with squall and hail in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. It also forecasted thunderstorms and gusty winds in Uttarakhand and Punjab.

Heavy rain is expected in North-Eastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura on Monday, while thunderstorms/dust storm in Rajasthan.

With north Indian states, particularly Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan still recovering from the devastation caused by the storm that hit the region on Wednesday, the IMD issued a warning that fresh thunderstorms might strike several parts of India between May 5 and 7.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, facing flak in his state as well as in Karnataka for being away on BJP election campaign at the time of the natural calamity, decided to cut short his campaign trip and will return to Agra tonight. Over 100 had died in UP in the storm.

Fresh thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds are likely to hit isolated places over Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi, said the NDMA.

This comes a day after over 100 people were killed as fierce dust and thunderstorms wreaked havoc across northern and western India on Wednesday and Thursday, uprooting electricity poles and trees and flattening houses, besides disrupting rail, road and air traffic and power supplies.

The freakish phenomena also damaged crops, killed livestock and affected mobile and Internet services and left a trail of destruction across states.

The death toll due to thunderstorm and lightning in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan has reached 124 in two days, confirmed the Ministry of Home Affairs, reported The Indian Express (IE). At least 73 people were killed in Uttar Pradesh, 35 killed in Rajasthan, eight in Telangana, six in Uttarakhand and two in Punjab.

At least 183 others were injured as the massive dust storm, followed by thunder showers, snapped power lines and sent tin roofs and street hoardings flying in parts of eastern Rajasthan and the adjoining areas of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday and Thursday, reported DNA.

Weather experts on Thursday had estimated that wind speeds touched 100 kilometres per hour, even as they predicted another dust storm to hit parts of UP and Rajasthan due to cyclonic circulation formation in the region. Most of the casualties were caused by lightning, which struck at many places after the dust storm settled down on Thursday, said the IE report.

In UP, Agra district was the worst hit, while Bijnor, Bareli, Saharanpur, Pilibhit, Firozabad, Chitrakoot, Muzaffarnagar, Rae Bareli and Unnao were also affected. In Rajasthan, the dust storm struck Bharatpur, Alwar and Dholpur districts.

Squall and rains also hit Delhi on Wednesday, with wind speeds reaching 59 km per hour in the evening. The maximum temperature, before the squall started was 36.4 degrees Celsius. By the time the rain ended four hours later, the temperature had dropped to 31.4 degrees Celsius. However, no damage to property or casualties were reported.

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Rahul Gandhi says air pollution in North India a national emergency, tourism declining, global reputation crumbling

“We need a collective national response, not political blame games,” the Congress leader said on his X handle.

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Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday said the air pollution in North India is a national emergency that needs a collective national response and not a political blame game. The Congress leader added that due to air pollution tourism is declining and “our global reputation is crumbling”.

It is a public health crisis that is stealing children’s future and suffocating the elderly, Gandhi said, adding an environmental and economic disaster that is ruining countless lives.

“As Parliament meets in a few days, MPs will all be reminded of the crisis by our irritated eyes and sore throats. It is our responsibility to come together and discuss how India can end this crisis once and for all,” the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha said.

The former Congress chief said the poorest “among us suffer the most”, unable to escape the toxic air surrounding them. Families are gasping for clean air, children are falling sick, and millions of lives are being cut short, he added.

The Rae Bareli MP noted that the pollution cloud covers hundreds of kilometres. He said cleaning it up will require major changes and decisive action from governments, companies, experts, and citizens.

“We need a collective national response, not political blame games,” the Congress leader said on his X handle.

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Indian Navy submarine collides with fishing boat near Goa coast, 2 fishermen missing

A spokesperson from the Navy told the media that eleven crew have been rescued so far.

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Indian Navy submarine collides with fishing boat near Goa coast, 2 fishermen missing

Indian Navy officials on Friday said that an Indian fishing vessel with a crew of 13 collided with an Indian Naval submarine near the Goa coast. 

Following the incident, a massive search and rescue operation has been launched by the Indian Navy, which has deployed six ships and aircraft. Reportedly, while 11 crew have been rescued, two are still missing.

The Ministry of Defence issued a statement and said that the vessel, Marthoma, collided with a Scorpene-class submarine about 70 nautical miles off the Goa coast. It added that search and rescue efforts for the remaining two are underway and are being coordinated with Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Mumbai (MRCC). It further mentioned that additional assets including from the Coast Guard have been diverted to the area to augment the efforts.

The statement said that the cause of the incident is being investigated. Notably, Scorpene-class submarines are a major part of India’s naval power in the Indian Ocean as they can undertake multifarious types of missions, including anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying, and area surveillance.

Reports said that the state-of-the-art technology utilised for the construction of the Scorpene-class submarines has ensured superior stealth features such as advanced acoustic silencing techniques, low radiated noise levels, hydro-dynamically optimized shape and the ability to launch a crippling attack on the enemy using precision-guided weapons. Furthermore, the attack can be launched with both torpedoes and tube-launched anti-ship missiles, whilst underwater or on the surface.

Meanwhile, the Indian Navy in its statement said that 13 crew members were aboard the fishing vessel at the time of the collision. It added that while 11 crew have been rescued so far, two fishermen are still reported missing.

A spokesperson from the Navy told the media that eleven crew have been rescued so far. He stated that search and rescue efforts for the remaining two crew members of Marthoma are in progress and are being coordinated with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), Mumbai. Additional assets including from the Coast Guard have been diverted to the area to augment the efforts, he continued.

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10 Naxalites killed in encounter in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma

The District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) continue their search operation in the area.

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Ten Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security forces in the Sukma district of Chhattisgarh on Friday.

The confrontation started in the morning within a forest area under the jurisdiction of the Bhejji police station, where a joint operation was being conducted by security personnel as part of an anti-Naxalite initiative, according to Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P. 

This operation was initiated following intelligence regarding the presence of Maoists connected to the Konta and Kistaram area committees, situated in the forested regions around Korajguda, Dantespuram, Nagaram, and Bhandarpadar villages.

So far, the bodies of ten Naxalites have been recovered at the scene. Additionally, a significant cache of weapons was seized, including an INSAS rifle, an AK-47, and a Self Loading Rifle (SLR). 

The District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) continue their search operation in the area. This incident contributes to the year-to-date total of 207 Naxalite fatalities recorded in various clashes across the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, comprising seven districts. 

On Wednesday, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the national capital, North Block. Their discussion focused on developmental progress in Naxal-affected areas of Chhattisgarh and efforts aimed at enhancing peace and stability in these regions. 

The Chief Minister emphasised that both the state government and security forces are diligently working to eradicate Naxal influence in Chhattisgarh, aligning with the Union Home Minister’s commitment to eliminate Naxalism by 2026.

“I met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and updated him about the Naxal activities in Chhattisgarh. Over the past 11 months, close to 200 Naxals have been neutralized, and approximately 600-700 have surrendered. We are making significant strides towards the goal set by the Prime Minister and Home Minister to achieve a Naxal-free India by March 2026,” CM Sai told reporters following the meeting.

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