1. Monsoon Withdrawal From Gujarat Not Expected Before 12 Oct: IMD
The Southwest monsoon is not expected to withdraw from Gujarat at least till 12 October, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The normal onset of withdrawal of monsoon in the state is 15 September. It begins from Kutch and takes a few days for complete withdrawal.
The state has already recorded 141.44 per cent average rainfall this season. This is almost double the average recorded in 2018. A few districts, including Ahmedabad, received rainfall on Sunday, 6 September while the state is expected to receive rain on Monday and Tuesday as well, according to the IMD.
“The withdrawal from Gujarat is not decided yet. Certainly it is not expected this week. The state will continue to receive rainfall for a day or two,” said India Meteorological Department (IMD) additional director Manorama Mohanty at Ahmedabad Regional Centre. The IMD has issued a rainfall forecast for Monday in Banaskantha, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Tapi, Dang, Valsad, Navsari and Kutch.
(Source: The Indian Express)
2. Thirteen New Trains From Gujarat, Maharashtra for Festivals
Ahead of Diwali and Christmas, the Western Railways announced on Saturday, 5 October, that it will launch 13 special trains from Maharashtra and Gujarat going to 120 destinations in states such as Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, to beat the rush during the festive seasons.
Providing further information, a spokesperson of Western Railways said that the 13 new trains will be in the ‘special and weekly’ category, meant to cater to people travelling to their native states from cities such as Mumbai, Bandra, Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara.
“To clear the extra rush in regular trains during forthcoming Diwali and Christmas celebrations and to ensure better convenience to the passengers, Western Railways has decided to start 13 special trains,” said the spokesperson.
(Source: The Indian Express)
3. Missing Woman Case: Cops Seek More CCTV Footage, No Headway so Far
Almost a week after they were reported missing, the police have not been able to trace Vrushti Kothari and Shivam Patel.
The police, who last traced Vrushti's mobile phone to Madhya Pradesh, have so far gone through six different CCTV footages and have sourced additional three footages.
The new CCTV footages showed that the two exited their society on foot upto the St Xavier's college and had hired an autorickshaw from the corner.
Earlier the cops had recovered CCTV footage of Vrushti and Shivam alighting from an autorickshaw at Kalupur Railway station in the city. Sources said the cops are also on the lookout for the autorickshaw driver who dropped the two at the station. Police, however, are still not sure if the two left the city via train or any other means.
(Source: DNA)
4. Bodies of 2 Labourers Recovered From Dhadhar River After Day-Long Search
A day after two farm labourers were swept away by the Dadhar river in Itola village, their bodies were recovered 6 kms downstream on Sunday, 6 October. The deceased, Raju Payasa and Sikander Pargi, were crossing the causeway in their village while on their way to work on Saturday afternoon, when they were swept away into the river. Along with Raju and Sikander, Raju’s brother Maju Payasa was also swept away by the heavy currents, but he had managed to rescue himself from the flow of the water.
Fire brigade and local police were informed, who along with the help of local swimmers had initiated a search operation on Saturday itself. However, they were unable to locate the two till late Saturday evening (5 October) and the search operation was suspended. It was resumed again on Sunday morning, following which their bodies were found and fished out of the river. A case of accidental death has been registered by the Vadodara rural police.
(Source: The Indian Express)
5. Sabarkantha Nears Normalcy After One Year
One year ago, migrant workers – especially from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, were making desperate efforts to catch trains, buses, whichever vehicle they got to go to their natives.
They feared for their lives as locals from Thakor community attacked the migrant workers over alleged rape of one and a half year old girl by a migrant worker in Sabarkantha district.
While workers have returned, scars have remained said representatives of migrants from north India. Industry representatives admit that there is no shortage of workers, but the demand itself is low due to demand slowdown in the country.
"Migrants workers have no choice, but to come back. UP and Bihar are predominantly agricultural economies. Forced by poverty, workers have to migrate," said Shyamsingh Thakur, president of Uttar Bharatiya Vikas Parishad, a body that works for the welfare of north Indians who have migrated to Gujarat.
(Source: DNA)
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