News Analysis India

Tag: Lakhimpur Kheri

  • Violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri after cars run over protesting farmers, many injured

    By PTI

    LAKHIMPUR KHERI: Violence broke out after two SUVs allegedly ran over over a group of anti-farm law protesters who were demonstrating against the visit of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya at Tikonia-Banbirpur road here on Sunday.

    Unconfirmed reports said that a number of farmers were seriously injured in the incident.

    Angry protesters allegedly forced the two vehicles to stop and set them on fire.

    They also allegedly trashed some passengers.

    The farmers had assembled there to oppose Maurya’s visit to Banbirpur, the native village of Union minister of state for Home Khiri MP Ajay Kumar Mishra.

    Several journalists were also reported to have sustained injuries in the incident.

    Meanwhile, in view of the violence, Deputy Chief Minister Maurya’s visit to Banbirpur village has been cancelled.

  • Glacier burst: Pall of gloom descends on UP’s Kheri as bodies start arriving

    Express News Service
    LUCKNOW: The 34 families across seven villages under Nighasan and Sigahi tehsils of Lakhimpur Kheri are a harried lot. The wait for those missing since Sunday’s glacier disaster seems unending. The families are running out of patience as the bodies of a few among those who have gone traceless in Chamoli, have started arriving. Many have left for Uttarakhand to trace the missing ones themselves.

    A deathly silence is looming large over the villages where ‘Chulhas’ (furnaces) have no fire. “We do not have any sense right now. No food is being cooked since the Sunday disaster in the villages from where people are missing,” says Ram Achal of Babupurwa village. Moreover, people from a number of families have already left for Uttarakhand looking for their dear ones about whom there has been no information for the last four days.

    The fear of the worst is soaring and it went several notches up when dismembered body of Avdhesh arrived in Ichchanagar village from Chamoli. The distraught family could not believe it. Mother Lalli Devi is falling unconscious repeatedly and on gaining consciousness she is only blaming the moment when she allowed her son to go to Uttarakhand to earn more.

    ALSO READ | Glacier burst: Dhauli Ganga water surges, rescue work at Tapovan tunnel halted

    A pall of gloom and despair has descended on Babupurwa, Bhairampur, Ichchhanagar, Tarankothi, Sigahi, Kadia, and Tikunia — the seven villages of the Terai district from where the maximum number of people had gone to Chamoli to work in the power projects. “They went as they were lured by Rs 500 per day wages,” says Bipin Kumar of Ichchhanaar.

    The family of another labourer Dharmendra is inconsolable. The distraught family, which received his body on Wednesday, is asking the visitors to bring their son back to life.

    Similarly, when the information about the death of Suraj reached Babupurwa on Wednesday, the entire village thronged his house to console the family. Similar scenes are common across all seven villages where families are awaiting information about their near and dear ones.

    Meanwhile, people from various other districts including Gorakhpur, Rae Bareli, Azamgarh, Mirzapur have started leaving for the neighbouring state to search for their missing family members.

    Additional Chief Secretary (Information) Navneet Sehgal said Chief Minister Adityanath had directed officers to make arrangements for transportation of UP residents who were unable to contact their family members and wished to visit Uttarakhand to know their whereabouts.

    The UP government had stationed officers in Dehradun to assist people in locating their missing family members.

  • Uttarakhand glacier burst: 55 UP labourers missing at Tapovan power project site

    Express News Service
    LUCKNOW: Around 55 labourers from Uttar Pradesh have gone missing at Tapovan power project site following the glacier burst in Uttarakhand. 

    The Uttar Pradesh government has set up around the clock emergency control room and has released two helpline numbers — 1070 and 9454441036 — to facilitate distraught families lodge the detailed information about their near and dear ones stranded or missing in the hill state. 

    UP is also extending help to Uttarakhand in carrying out the rescue and relief operation.

    ALSO READ: Abrupt snowslide, not glacier burst, might have caused the calamity, says Uttvarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat

    “Till Monday evening, we had a list of about 40 people from UP who went missing in the incident. The relief commissioner’s office is in touch with the government of Uttarakhand and also with district magistrates of various districts for a list of people who are missing or need help or rescue. Details arebeing verified from each district,” said a senior government official.

    Relief commissioner Sanjay Goyal said that his office was in the process of compiling a list of people from UP who have been impacted by the tragedy.

    “Those who want to report missing persons should register their names on either 1070 or 9454441036. We are coordinating with the Uttarakhand Government to provide relief to affected persons as soon as possible,” he said.

    ALSO READ: Uttarakhand glacier burst: Scientists leave for Joshimath for surveillance, reconnaissance

    Meanwhile, those who have gone missing include 33 labourers from Lakhimpur Kheri, five from Meerut, eight from Shravasti, five from Amroha and three from Saharanpur district of UP. Those, who hailed from the Lakhimpur Kheri, were working in the severely-affected Tapovan power project site.

    The relatives of the workers have been unable to contact them, however as of now, there has been no information of their whereabouts.

    Of the 33 labourers who hailed from Lakhimpur Kheri, bodies of two have been recovered. One of the labourers, who survived the tragedy, told his family that he survived but over 15 of his companions were either swept away or were still trapped in the tunnel.

    EXPLAINED: How glaciers can burst and send floods downstream

    Eight labourers from Shravasti are also traceable, They had been working on Rishi Ganga project in Chamoli. They all belonged to Motipur Kala village of Shravasti.

    Those who hailed from Amroha included Rohit, 28, Mahipal, 35, Kavenidra Singh,25, Than Singh, 45, and Sunny, 24, are still missing with no trace. They all belonged to village Saunth under Nagli police station area in Hassanpur tehsil of Amroha district.

    Those five who had gone from Meerut had been working on the installation of a Jio tower at Saraisoat, 18 km away from Tapovan power project site. They had been engaged in the project for the last four months. Similarly, the kin of the three missing persons who belonged to Saharanpur is inconsolable.

    Those from Saharanpur had reportedly talked to their families last time on Sunday morning. Since then, there has been no trace of them with their mobile phones going switched off.

    All those who hailed from Meerut had left home on February 4 and had reached Uttarakhand on February 6. They all were taken by a contractor named Saurabh Prajapati who was entrusted to get the manpower by HFCL, the firm looking after the installation of Jio mobile tower.

  • Uttarakhand glacier disaster: Over 30 workers from Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri missing

    By PTI
    LAKHIMPUR KHERI: Over 30 people from Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri who worked at a hydro project in Uttarakhand’s Tapovan are missing after flash floods triggered by the breaking off a glacier caused extensive damage there.

    The missing people belong to Nighasan tehsil of Lakhimpur Kheri district.

    The glacier burst at Joshimath in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district had triggered an avalanche and a deluge in the Alaknanda river system that washed away hydroelectric stations on Sunday.

    ALSO READ: Abrupt snowslide, not glacier burst, might have caused the calamity, says Uttvarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat

    The report of them going missing surfaced when some of the rescued workers contacted their family members and informed them about the tragedy.

    According to the kin of those missing, at least 34 people from various villages — 15 from Ichhanagar; eight from Bhairampur; four from Babupurwa; three of Tikonia; and one each from Bhulanpur, Kadiya, Singahi and Mirjapur — are missing.

    Nighasan Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Om Prakash Gupta had said on Sunday that the administration was not in a position to confirm the number of missing people till communication with the Uttarakhand government.

    EXPLAINED: How glaciers can burst and send floods downstream

    On Monday, Lakhimpur Kheri DM Shailendra Kumar Singh, along with SP Vijay Dhull, met family members of those missing.

    The DM assured them of all aid and assistance.

    Meanwhile, the office of the relief commissioner in Lucknow said that it has started a state-level emergency operation centre to enable family members of the missing persons to speak to them.

    ALSO READ: Uttarakhand glacier burst: Scientists leave for Joshimath for surveillance, reconnaissance

    People can register information about their missing family members on helpline 1070 and on WhatsApp number 9454411036.

    Later, a statement by the information office of Lakhimpur Kheri district said the district magistrate and the superintendent of police visited Babupurva, Bhairampur, Ichhanagar and other villages, and met family members of the missing people.

    They said, that the administration was working on identifying such persons who have been unable to contact their family members, and making a list.

    The relief commission officials of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand are being informed about it and more information about them is being gathered, the officers said.

    Both the officials spoke to labourers in Chamoli with whom contact could be established and enquired about their well being, according to an official statement.