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Three injured in blast at Tosamaidan in J&K’s Budgam

(File)

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): At least three people were injured, one of them critically, in an explosion at Tosamaidan area of central Kashmir’s Budgam district today, police officials said.

A police officer said that some people had gathered in the Tosamaidan meadow today and a sudden explosion took place in which three people were injured, one of them seriously.

“All three were shifted to the hospital for treatment, where the condition of one was stated as critical,” he said. The injured were shifted to Primary Health Centre, Budgam for treatment.

Tosamaidan, a sprawling meadow spread over 10,000 hectares of land, was under Army for several decades till 2014 and was used as an artillery training range for the armed forces. The army vacated the area in 2014 and it took two years to sanitise the area from unexploded shells after which the meadow was thrown open for public in May, 2016.

It was opened for public by the then J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti with a promise that the area will be converted into a full-fledged tourist spot.

Coronavirus cases exceed 36,500 in Bangladesh; 522 dead

(Image source: United News of Bangladesh)

New Delhi (NVI): The total number of deaths from coronavirus in Bangladesh has reached 522 after 21 more people lost their lives in the last 24 hours, according to United News of Bangladesh.

The total number of coronavirus infections rose to 36,751 after 1,166 new infections were reported during this period.

The infection rate in the country has been recorded at 21.56 per cent.

On a positive note, 245 coronavirus-infected people completed full recovery from their infections, which upped the total number of recoveries to 7,579.

Bangladesh has been seeing a spurt in daily coronavirus cases since mid-April. The health authorities declared the whole country vulnerable to coronavirus infection and imposed heavy restrictions on movement.

Gadkari lauds BRO for achieving Chamba tunnel breakthrough

Nitin Gadkari today inaugurated the breakthrough event of Chamba Tunnel through video conferencing.

New Delhi (NVI): Union Minister Nitin Gadkari today lauded Border Roads Organistaion (BRO) for achieving a major milestone by successfully digging up a 440-meter long tunnel below the busy Chamba town in Uttarakhand on Rishikesh-Dharasu road Highway, under the Chardham project.

The Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways commended BRO for its “extraordinary feat” today while inaugurating the breakthrough event of Chamba Tunnel under Chardham Parijojna via video conference today.

“Border Roads Organisation (BRO) achieved this major milestone by digging up a 440 m long Tunnel below the busy Chamba town on Rishikesh-Dharasu road Highway (NH 94),” the minister said, adding that the breakthrough was completed amidst threat of COVID-19 and nationwide lockdown.

He lauded BRO for working in some of the very difficult terrain and ensuring implementation of critical projects. He said that he has been informed about completion of the project by October 2020, i.e, three months ahead of the schedule.

The construction of tunnel was a challenging task in terms of weak soil strata, continuous water seepage, heavy built up area on top thereby chances of sinking of houses, land acquisition issues, restrictions during COVID lockdown etc, the ministry said in a statement.

Speaking on the occasion, Gadkari said, “This Rishikesh-Dharasu-Gangotri road in Uttarakhand has a very significant role from socio economic and religious point of view.” He said that opening of this tunnel will ease out congestion though the Chamba town and reduce the distance by one kilometer and journey through the town will take only ten minutes as compared to thirty minutes earlier.

Director General of Border Roads Organisation, Lt Gen Harpal Singh said, BRO started the work on North Portal of this tunnel in Jan 2019 but work on South Portal could be started only after Oct 2019 due to stiff resistance from locals on account of safety concerns and compensation issues.

To compensate for the loss in time, day and night working shifts along with use of modern technology facilitated the breakthrough. BRO is a key stake holder in prestigious Chardham project and breakthrough of this tunnel has been achieved by Team Shivalik. Latest Austrian technology has been used in its construction. The tunnel will be through for traffic by October this year, almost three months before its scheduled date of completion, the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways said.

Under prestigious Chardham Project costing around Rs 12,000 Crore with approximate length of 889 Km, BRO is constructing 250 Km of National Highways leading to holy shrine Gangotri and Badrinath. Majority of the works are progressing ahead of schedule and BRO is slated to complete four projects by October this year.

BRO has been entrusted 251 Km of stretches  costing Rs 3000 Cr approx consisting of 17 Projects on road Rishikesh – Dharasu (NH-94) from Km 28 onwards of 99 Km length, Dharasu- Gangotri Highway (NH-108) of 110 Km length and Joshimath to Mana ( NH-58) of 42 Km length.

Out of these, 10 Projects consisting of 151 Km road length have been sanctioned which are worth Rs 1702 Cr and works are under progress.

BRO is slated to complete four Projects aggregating a length of 53 Km out of 10 ongoing projects ahead of their scheduled date of completion.

A Tunnel of 440 mtr length to decongest busy Chamba town is being constructed out of these 10 projects. The Chamba tunnel is a Horse shoe type tunnel with 10 mtr carriage way width and 5.5 mtr vertical clearance. The sanctioned cost of this tunnel is 107.07 Crore. The awarded cost is Rs 86 Crore, including 43 Crore for Tunnel and 43 Crore for 4.2 Km approach roads to tunnel, the ministry said.

Pak warns to reimpose lockdown if violation of safety measures continues

New Delhi (NVI): The Pakistan government has warned the lockdown would be reimposed after Eid-ul-Fitr if the violations of the standard operating procedures (SOPs) are continued, put in place to constrain the Covid-19 pandemic, according to media reports.

The warning comes weeks after the government had started phase-wise easing of the nation-wide lockdown, citing economic fallout of a prolonged quarantine.

Meanwhile, the total number of positive coronavirus cases in Pakistan has increased by at least 3,000, taking the overall tally to 58,278 with at least 1,202 fatalities recorded so far.

Looking at the breakdown of cases, Sindh province has reported 23,507 coronavirus cases, highest among all the provinces, while Punjab has 20,654 positive cases.

On the other hand, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has recorded 8,080 cases, Balochistan is at 3,468, Gilgit-Baltistan at 630, Islamabad at 1,728 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is at 211 cases so far, according to Geo News.

So far, a total of 17,482 patients have recovered from the deadly contagion in the country.

Tourism ministry extends period of approval/classifications of hotels

Representational Image

New Delhi (NVI): The Ministry of Tourism today said that it is extending validity period of Approval or Classifications of hotels and other accommodation units till June 30.

The ministry said that it has taken the decision considering the current situation when the hospitality industry is going through a very difficult time in the wake of COVID-19 Pandemic and lockdown.

The Ministry classifies hotels under the star rating system to conform to the expected standards for different classes of tourists. The classification and certification is valid for a period of five years.

“It has been decided that validity of approval or certifications of hotels and other accommodation units whose project approvals/reapprovals and classification/reclassification have expired/are likely to expire during the period (24.03.2020 to 29.6.2020) are deemed to be extended till 30.06.2020,” the ministry said in a statement.

Apart form this, the Ministry has a scheme of approving Travel Agents, Tour Operators, Adventure Tour Operators, Domestic Tour Operators and Tourist Transport Operators etc. the idea being to encourage quality, standard and service in these categories so as to promote Tourism in India.

Due to postponement of inspection work and application scrutiny during the lockdown period from March 2020 onward in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry has decided to allow six months’ relaxation or extension to all categories of Tour Operators (Inbound, Domestic, Adventure) Travel Agents and Tourist Transport Operators for their approval with the Ministry of Tourism subject to the following conditions: –

(i) The previous approval expired or the current approval expires during the period of 20th March, 2020 (i.e. the date of issuance of order by the Ministry for discontinuation of inspection work by India Tourism offices) till continuation of lockdown, and

(ii) They applied for renewal before expiry of their current/previous approval.

Under the classification system by the Ministry, hotels are given a rating, from One Star to Three Star, Four and Five Star with or without alcohol, Five Star Deluxe, Heritage (Basic), Heritage (Classic), Heritage (Grand), Legacy Vintage (Basic), Legacy Vintage (Classic), Legacy Vintage (Grand) and Apartment Hotels, Home stays, Guest house etc. The classification/ certification is valid for period of five years.

Tough time for cardamom growers in Kerala amid Covid-19 lockdown

New Delhi (NVI): The Covid-19 outbreak has hit cardamom cultivators in Kerala very hard as they find themselves in a difficult situation due to the nationwide lockdown.

In Kerala, which leads the country in total cardamom production, 30000 Ha (Hectare Unit) of cardamom cultivation is estimated to have affected due to lockdown, according to the Spices Board of India, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Cultural and plant protection operations have been hindered in the plantations due to restrictions imposed, creating inadequate labour resources, seriously affecting the final round of harvesting, post harvesting operations, etc, according to the Spices Board.

“The entire system of production and supply links were disrupted causing economic loss to the stakeholders in many ways,” the board said in a statement.

Farmers and traders were worried about the low demand, decline in price and deterioration in quality due to storage over long period.

However, Spices Board developed an SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) to be followed in the cardamom plantations and proposed schemes/programmes for interim relief to various stakeholders in the industry which has been submitted to the Ministry of Commerce & Industry for approval.

Apart from that the Board has successfully resolved the issues faced in the export of small cardamom to Saudi Arabia recently. This has spurted a new wake in the sector to facilitate better price realization, the board said in a statement.

The Spices Board is the nodal agency for marketing of Indian spices in domestic and global markets. Recently, the board was also looking at the option of online auction of cardamom to help mitigate the impact of Covid-19 crisis.

Besides this, there have been many discussions on medicinal properties of spices and the Board has proposed for the development of commercially viable nutraceutical products based on these properties. The Board has said that currently, sustaining the production, export of spices, ensuring quality and food safety are of paramount importance.

“Hence emphasis will be given on food safety in all nodes of the supply chain and production and exports of organic products, the Board said, adding that it is in the process of suitably modifying the existing schemes in this regard.

Spain to reopen for foreign tourists from July 1

New Delhi (NVI): The government of Spain has said that it is planning to allow foreign tourists in the country from July. The Spanish government’s decision comes as it eases lockdown measures in Madrid and Barcelona.

The government expects that the two-week quarantine imposed on overseas travelers will be suspended by that time.

Spain’s Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya on Monday in a tweet said, “The worst is behind us. In July we will gradually open Spain to international tourists, lift the quarantine, ensure the highest standards of health safety. We look forward 2 welcoming you!”

Under current restrictions, visitors from abroad must isolate themselves for two weeks on arrival, making leisure trips virtually impossible.

Spain’s Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto yesterday said that the policy would be relaxed in July.

The world’s second-most visited nation closed its doors and beaches in March to handle the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, later imposing a two-week quarantine on overseas visitors.

Now, it is gradually easing a strict lockdown though it has kept a quarantine for visitors so as to prevent a second wave of infections.

Tourism is a critical part of the country’s economy. Spain is the world’s second-most visited nation and normally draws some 80 million visitors per year, over 12 per cent of gross domestic product and an even bigger share of jobs.

At present, bars and restaurants in Madrid and Barcelona were allowed to open outside spaces at half capacity from Monday. But many stayed closed as owners weighed the value of catering to just a few.

Notably, Spain has been highly affected by the deadly pandemic, with a total of 26,834 deaths so far. However, the death toll has been below 100 in the country for the past nine days. A total of 235,000 deaths have been recorded while 150,000 have recovered.

No plan of creating a separate Himachal Regiment, Army busts rumors

The Army has requested people to guard against such misinformation and fake messages.(Representational Image)

New Delhi (NVI): A viral message is circulating on social media about the creation of a separate Himachal Regiment having headquarter at Kangra district of the state.

Taking note of the viral Facebook Post by the page titled- ‘Himachali Boys & girls’, the Indian Army has said that the message is fake and they have no plans to come up with a separate regiment for the state.

“There are NO such plan of creating a separate Himachal Regiment in the #IndianArmy. These Social Media messages are fake and untrue,” the Army tweeted through its official ADGPI Twitter handle.

The Army has requested people to guard against such misinformation and fake messages.

“Messages on Social Media are circulating about the creation of a #Himachal #Regiment having headquarters at #Kangra.

Request guard against misinformation and #Fake messages,” the Army said in another tweet.

In 2019, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur had urged Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to create a Himalayan Regiment in the Army, in a bid to provide employment to youths in his state. However, there has been no indication of the creation of such regiment by the Army or Defence Ministry so far.

Covid-19: Elderly man dies at Srinagar hospital, J&K death toll at 24

Srinagar(NVI): A 90-year-old man who was suffering from Covid-19 breathed his last at a Srinagar hospital this morning, Jammu and Kashmir health officials said.

With the fresh death, the total number of deaths due to Covid in J&K has reached 24 of which 21 were reported in Kashmir and 3 in the Jammu region.

Medical Superintendent of Police SKIMS, Soura hospital Dr Farooq Ahmed Jan said that the deceased was a resident of Kulgam district of South Kashmir. “He was referred to SKIMS from Government Medical College Anantnag. His samples were taken immediately after his admission in the hospital which came positive today morning,” he said.

He said that the condition of the patient deteriorated in the isolation ward of SKIMS on Monday afternoon and he breathed his last on the same evening.

Dr Jan said that the patient was suffering from pneumonia and had a history of chest disease.

The body of the deceased has been sent to his native village in Kulgam while following proper Covid-19 protocols. Hospital sources said that his family has been informed that only a few close relations should attend the funeral and take part in his burial while wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

State-wise details of Covid-19 cases in India

New Delhi (NVI): Coronavirus cases in India continue to surge with Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat being the worst affected states in the country.

The total number of positive coronavirus cases in India has reached 1,45,380 while a total of 4,167 deaths have been reported so far, according to Union Health Ministry tally.

Maharashtra has reported over 52,000 confirmed cases so far.

The first confirmed coronavirus case in India was reported in the state of Kerala on January 30. Since then, the virus has tightened its grip across the country.

Total positive cases in States/UTs:

Andaman and Nicobar Islands- 33

Andhra Pradesh- 3,110

Arunachal Pradesh- 2

Assam- 526

Bihar- 2,730

Chandigarh- 238

Chhattisgarh- 291

Dadar Nagar Haveli- 2

Delhi- 14,053

Gujarat- 14,460

Goa- 67

Haryana– 1,184

Himachal Pradesh- 223

Jammu and Kashmir- 1,668

Jharkhand- 377

Karnataka- 2,182

Kerala- 896

Ladakh- 52

Madhya Pradesh- 6,859

Maharashtra- 52,667

Manipur- 39

Meghalaya- 14

Mizoram- 1

Nagaland- 3

Odisha- 1,438

Puducherry- 41

Punjab- 2,060

Rajasthan- 7,300

Sikkim- 1

Tamil Nadu- 17,082

Telangana- 1,920

Tripura- 194

Uttarakhand- 349

Uttar Pradesh- 6,532

West Bengal – 3,816

State/UT wise total death toll:

Andhra Pradesh- 56

Assam- 4

Bihar- 13

Chandigarh- 3

Delhi- 276

Gujarat- 888

Haryana- 16

Himachal Pradesh- 5

Jammu and Kashmir- 23

Jharkhand- 4

Karnataka- 44

Kerala- 5

Madhya Pradesh- 300

Maharashtra- 1,695

Meghalaya- 1

Odisha- 7

Puducherry- 1

Punjab- 40

Rajasthan- 167

Tamil Nadu- 118

Telangana- 56

Uttar Pradesh- 165

Uttarakhand- 3

West Bengal- 278

A total of 60,491 people have been cured or discharged from hospitals in India. There are around 80,722 active cases currently, according to the Health Ministry.

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