Cyclone Tauktae makes landfall in India’s

TA u KTAE IN S . ASIA cyclone Tauktae makes landfall in India’s Gujarat

4 killed in dust storm in Pakistan

A powerful cyclone has battered India’s west coast and made landfall in Gujarat after authorities evacuated hundreds of thousands of people. Dubbed an “extremely severe cyclonic storm” by the Indian Meteorological Department, the cyclone, named Tauktae, brought with it wind speeds of 160 to 170 kilometres per hour (99.4 -105.6 miles per hour) with gusts of up to 190 km/h (118 mph), storm surges and heavy rainfall. The cyclone destroyed buildings, uprooted trees and electricity pylons, snapped wires and led to waterlogging and floods in Gujarat as well as Maharashtra and the neighbouring territories of Daman and Diu. The Indian Meteorological Department said it would take up to three hours for the landfall along the Gujarat coast to be completed. The Indian army and navy were on standby for relief and rescue operations, along with the National Disaster Response Force, Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani said during a briefing. Rupani said he was monitoring the situation with top officials. The extent of the damage in the four districts affected would be clear by morning, he said. Ports and airports in Gujarat were closed and more than 150,000 people evacuated from coastal belts of the Saurashtra and Kutch region to temporary safe shelters. The international airport in India’s financialhub, Mumbai, was closed through the day. More than 50 flights were cancelled. National Disaster Response Force teams and regional responders were working around the clock to restore power supplies and remove trees from roads and key transport arteries including highways, along which oxygen supplies for COVID-19 patients are being transported from ports in Gujarat. Power back-ups like diesel-powered generators had been installed at many hospitals, officials said. At least 14 people have died so far in incidents related to the storm, six of them in Maharashtra’s Konkan coastal belt, regional officials said. The toll is expected to go up. Tauktae is named after a particularly loud Burmese gecko. The impact of the cyclone was expected to continue for at least 12 hours after landfall. The cyclone began forming over the Arabian Sea more than three days ago and has wrought havoc along India’s western coast, in the states of Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and finally Gujarat.

Mass evacuations

Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from coastal belts in all the states and housed in temporary shelters, despite fears of a further spread of COVID-19 in a country that is reeling from a deadly second wave of the pandemic. “This cyclone is a terrible double blow for millions of people in India whose families have been struck down by record COVID infections and deaths. Many families are barely staying afloat,” Udaya Regmi, South Asia head of the delegation of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said in a statement. The potential impact of the “monster storm” was frightening, Regmi said. Emergency response teams of the Indian Red Cross were working with local authorities on evacuation and relief, according to the statement. India’s western coast is no stranger to devastating cyclones, but changing climate patterns have caused them to become more intense, rather than more frequent. In May 2020, nearly 100 people died when Cyclone Amphan, the most powerful storm to hit eastern India in more than a decade, ravaged the region and left millions without power. Source: News Agencies

cyclone tauktae: Ninety missing at sea in the wake of storm

More than 90 people are missing after a barge off the coast of the Indian city of Mumbai sank amid a severe cyclone. The Indian navy said it had rescued 177 of the 270 people aboard and that efforts to find survivors were ongoing. Three other commercial barges carrying about 700 people are stranded at sea in the wake of cyclone Tauktae, which has battered India’s western coast. Tauktae weakened after it made landfall on Monday, but at least 19 people have already died in the storm. The stricken barge, owned by India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), was carrying personnel deployed for offshore drilling. When the storm struck, the barge’s anchors gave way and it began drifting. The Indian navy has mounted a massive air and sea rescue mission for the missing oil workers, which is being hampered by huge waves: “There are waves of 20 to 25 feet (six to 7.6m), the winds are high and the visibility is low,” said navy spokesman Vivek Madhwal.“Ships and aircraft have been deployed for the search and rescue mission.” A navy spokesman told the BBC it had dispatched three warships to save those aboard the three stranded commercial barges. Two of the barges are off the coast of Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra state, while the third is off the coast of Gujarat. ONGC said it had also deployed boats to rescue its personnel. One of the troubled barges, reportedly carrying cargo, had anchored and was about 14km from Mumbai’s coast when it went adrift on Monday. The navy said the barge had since run aground in a rocky patch of the sea. Everyone on board is reported to be safe. The third barge, about 92km from the Gujarat coast, is attached to an oil rig. There are reportedly 196 people aboard and another 100 reportedly stuck on the rig.

What is the impact of the cyclone?

Initially classified as “extremely severe”, the cyclone made landfall in Gujarat state late on Monday with wind speeds of up to 160km/h (100mph). It narrowly missed Mumbai, but the barges adrift off the city’s coast were unable to return to the harbour on time. Winds have ravaged coastal areas in the western state of Gujarat, uprooting trees and electricity poles. In Saurashtra district, electricity supply has been cut as a precautionary measure. About 200,000 people were evacuated across several states as the cyclone approached, bringing with it heavy rains and gusty winds. The storm has hit the region amid a devastating second wave of Covid-19 that has overwhelmed Indian hospitals. Tauktae is the strongest cyclone to strike the coast of Gujarat since 1998. On Tuesday morning, the (IMD) said in a tweet that the cyclone had further weakened, and would continue to weaken gradually in the next three hours. But authorities have asked people to remain cautious as some areas in Gujarat continue to witness strong winds. Although Covid cases are declining in both states, the devastating effects of India’s second wave are still being felt. More than 200,000 people in low-lying areas were moved to shelters, sparking fears of possible new coronavirus clusters in coming weeks. And the federal government has also ordered the vaccine drive to be halted in several coastal towns believed to be at risk.The storm is also adding to the challenge facing India’s hospitals. Mumbai moved 580 Covid positive patients from dedicated centres to civic hospitals as a precaution. Rescue teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Indian Army have been sent to severely-hit regions in Gujarat state, and the region of Diu. Rains from the storm also killed six people in Kerala, Karnataka and Goa over the weekend as the cyclone moved along the western coastline. Houses were destroyed and electricity was disrupted across several districts in these states. Source: bbc.com

Karachi [Pakistan] May 19, (ANI): At least four people were killed in roof collapse incidents after a dust storm followed by light rain hit parts of Karachi on Tuesday evening, caused due to the influence of the cyclone system in southern Pakistan’s vicinity. The districts in lower Sindh including Karachi have been under the influence of cyclonic storm Tauktae, and on Monday the mercury rose to 43.5 degrees Celsius in Karachi. According to the Dawn, at least four people were killed in roof collapse incidents after a dust storm followed by light rain hit parts of Karachi on Tuesday evening after the city remained in the grips of a severe heat spell for two days.The strong winds caused roofs to collapse in several areas, killing a man and a woman in Dabba Colony, a nine-year-old child in Shershah, and a man in Baldia No. 14, according to a Karachi Police statement, reported by Dawn. The districts in lower Sindh including Karachi have been under the influence of cyclonic storm Tauktae, and on Monday the mercury rose to 43.5 degrees Celsius in Karachi. Sardar Sarfaraz of the Meteorology department told Dawn that “the dust storm was caused due to the influence of the cyclone system being in southern Pakistan’s vicinity combined with local weather conditions.” He said, “Karachi could experience gusty winds again until the cyclone system is out of the region.”Sarfaraz noted that the city’s temperature had fallen by 7-8 degrees soon after the dust storm, saying it was likely to drop further as the weather normalises, as reported by Dawn. The official had earlier told Dawn that the storm had started dissipating and weather in lower Sindh would improve by Wednesday as the sea breeze blocked by the storm would resume. “A few dust/thunderstorm-rain [spells] accompanied with gusty winds of 30-50km/h may occur in Tharparkar and Umerkot districts during next 12 hours,” the advisory said, adding that hot and dry weather will continue on Tuesday (today) in Karachi, Hyderabad, Shaheed Benazirabad, Badin and Mirpurkhas districts, said Pakistan Meteorological Department, reported Dawn. According to the alert, sea conditions will remain rough till Tuesday evening and fishermen of Sindh are advised to avoid going into the deep sea. “They can resume their activities from tomorrow,” it said. (ANI) Source: geo.tv

PAKISTAN Fawad chauhdry says no cabinet member involved in Rawalpindi Ring Road scam

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information Fawad Hussain on Tuesday made some revelations about the Rawalpindi Ring Road (R3) scandal and said that Prime Minister Imran Khan had asked to probe the matter after an engineer wrote a letter to him, saying that the alignment of the road had been changed. After an investigation was launched into the matter, it was revealed that not only the alignment of the road was changed but it had been expanded towards Attock by 29 kilometres, Fawad said. “The reason for expanding the road was to benefit several housing societies,” said Fawad. Regarding the alleged involvement of Special Assistant to the PM on Overseas Pakistanis Zulfi Bukhari and Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan in influencing the officials to change the design of the project, Fawad said that so far, there is no evidence of the involvement of any minister or adviser in the Rawalpindi Ring Road (R3) project. He added that Bukhari had tendered his resignation on moral grounds. Both the government functionaries have rejected the accusations, saying they have been “wrongly dragged into the matter. “All citizens are equal in the eyes of law. Now there will be investigations into all allegations whether these are against opposition leaders, cabinet members, the bureaucracy or any institution,” he said in a series of tweets after the R3 scandal exploded in the media. Fawad Chauhdry said the principle of ‘answerability’ would be applicable to everyone facing any accusations, adding it was the change in the system that had been promised. The minister said it was only possible in Imran Khan’s government that the allegations were probed if levelled against whosoever. He said that contrary to that, during the tenures of PML-N and PPP, media had been highlighting wrongdoings loud and clear, but all went unheard. Now, he said, the PTI government had changed the system as it strongly believed that government officials should have fear of accountability besides influential personalities were also not above the law. Fawad said the PM was apprised about the matter of the Ring Road project that a 23-kilometre stretch was added in the original alignment to benefit housing societies that led to the additional payment of Rs20 billion on account of land procurement. Following this, the minister said the Pun-

jab chief minister, as well as Commissioner Rawalpindi, was asked to probe the matter. According to the initial inquiry, he said, the commissioner confirmed the reports that the former commissioner and some officers were involved in the scandal, suggesting sending the matter to the departments concerned for further investigation. Source: geo.tv

Psl 2021: Abu Dhabi yet to be officially announced as hosts for Psl

LAHORE: The wait continues for an official announcement from the Pakistan Cricket Board that Abu Dhabi will stage the remaining 20 matches of the Pakistan Super League season which was disrupted due to a Covid-19 outbreak. The PCB had planned on the resumption of the PSL from June 1 but although there have been reports that the United Arab Emirates government has allowed the Emirates Cricket Board to host the matches in Abu Dhabi, the PCB hasn’t divulged any details about the programme.A PCB spokesman told Dawn that the offices of the cricket body were “open till late in the evening on Tuesday and as soon as any information is received, it will be shared with the media forthwith.”Asked about the Emirates board having received clearance from the UAE government for the PSL, the spokesman said he “could not share anything with the media until any information is received.”The PCB had earlier planned to resume the PSL season in Karachi with a window from June 1 to 17 set aside for the 20 matches but after its request to go on with that wasn’t approved by the National Command Operation Centre, it approached the Emirates Board with the consent of all the six franchises.But still, there remain multiple hurdles with the PCB facing time constraints since the national team is due to embark on its tour of England on June 23.The UAE has banned commercial flights from South Asia, which has become the epicentre of the Covid-19 pandemic with India the hardest-hit nation. Most of the PSL’s broadcast crew is from India and they along with the players, who will fly in from all over the world, and franchise officials have to quarantine for ten days upon arrival in the UAE.

Tareen dispels reports of split in PTI, says there’s no forward bloc

Estranged Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Jahangir Tareen dispelled on Wednesday reports of a split in the ruling party, even as he maintained that PTI lawmakers from “his group” would be raising their voices in the Punjab Assembly against what he called “acts of revenge” by the provincial government.Tareen, who was addressing media persons outside the Lahore High Court (LHC), stressed that there was no forward bloc in the PTI, but admitted that the group he was part of had existed within the party for the past three months.“[But] I am openly telling you that … we all are part of the PTI and will remain so,” he asserted. Tareen, however, alleged that the Punjab government had been exacting revenge from the members of the group, using different pressure tactics such as transfers. “We have decided to raise voice against it in the Punjab Assembly and have nominated Sardar Saeed Akbar Khan Niwani to lead this discussion in the assembly as our representative,” he added. Recalling that Prime Minister Imran Khan had met the group and assured them that justice would be served and no revenge would be exacted, Tareen expressed confidence in the premier’s assurance. “But the Punjab government also needs to stop [unjustified] action against our group and address our concerns,” Tareen said, reiterating that they would raise the issue in the provincial assembly as it was their constitutional right. Tareen reiterated that there was no forward block in the PTI. Reports of a split in the ruling party surfaced after Tareen, once a close friend to Prime Minister Imran Khan, announced on Tuesday the parliamentary leaders of “his group” — both in the National and the Punjab assemblies.The announcement came at a dinner hosted by Tareen at his residence where, according to Raja Riaz, a member of the National Assembly from Faisalabad, four more MNAs and as many MPAs had joined the group. This, Raja Riaz claimed, had brought the total strength of the group close to 40. Tareen had named Riaz the group’s parliamentary leader in the National Assembly, and Niwani in the Punjab Assembly. S. Dawn .Punjab govt taking revenge

against my supporters

He accused the Punjab government of transferring officers of the ministers that were loyal to Tareen, “left, right and centre”, and were putting pressure on them. The estranged PTI leader said the pro-Tareen group had, as a result, decided to “raise their voices against this in the Punjab Assembly”. Tareen said members of his group had decided to nominate MPA Saeed Akbar Niwani to “lead the discussions” against the alleged revenge tactics of the Punjab government, in the assembly. He blamed the media for making a huge deal about the news. He urged the Punjab government to “stop with their actions”, adding that the lawmakers who are part of the Tareen group are “your MPAs and you [Buzdar] became the chief minister by their votes”.In response to a question, Tareen said the Punjab government had taken revenge from members of his group in other matters as well but he would rather not go into details of it.Source: geo.tv Players from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are to arrive in Pakistan to board on a chartered flight to the UAE with the PCB making the arrangements on an emergency basis which would see costs of holding the event soar. Another issue with playing in the UAE in June is the relentless heat of the Middle East summer which could affect players’ performances. As the announcement gets delayed, the PCB has a back-up plan to resume the PSL later in the first week of June but that would see two matches being played every day till June 17.The PCB also has a free window in September to hold the PSL as the national team will have completed the tour of the West Indies by August 24 before the arrival of England in October. Source: dawn.com