News of the Day – 21-june-2019

43 die in Himachal’s Kullu as bus skids off road, plunges into 500-ft gorge

At least 43 people were killed and nearly 30 injured when a private bus skidded off a mountain road and plunged into a 500-foot gorge near Banjar in Kullu district on Thursday.

Kullu superintendent of police (SP) ShaliniAgnihotri said the bus was on its way from Kullu to GadaGhusheni and carrying at least 73 people despite having a seating strength of 42. The accident took place around 4:30 pm at Doth Mor, about two km from Banjar town.

Rescue teams led by Banjar sub-divisional magistrate MR Bhardwaj rushed to the spot and shifted the injured to the hospital with the help of local villagers. Local police said many of the victims were school and college who were going back home to nearby villages.

The SP said the deceased were being identified and casualty figure may rise because many of those undergoing treatment were in a very critical condition.The fate of driver and conductor is unknown as the identification process is still on.

Prima facie, it appeared that the driver lost control of the wheel while negotiating a sharp curve but the exact reason of the accident will be known after a thorough probe, added the SP. Overloading of the bus may also have contributed to the accident, added Banjar PatwariSheetal Kumar.

“Deeply saddened by the bus accident in Kullu. Condolences to the families of those who lost their lives. I hope the injured recover soon. The Himachal Pradesh government is providing all possible assistance that is required,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted. The Congress prayed for the quick recovery of those injured and paid tribute to the deceased.

Eyewitnesses said the spot from where the bus rolled down into the gorge had no crash barriers. Visuals from local television channels showed the mangled remains of the bus near a stream at the bottom of the gorge with villagers forming human chains to help survivors cross the gushing waters.

Governor Acharya Devvrat and chief minister Jai Ram Thakur expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident. The CM asked the administration to provide the best possible healthcare facilities to the injured passengers. He said a magisterial inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the reason of the mishap. Transport minister Govind Singh Thakur rushed to the accident site while the Kullu district administration has provided Rs. 50,000 each as immediate relief to the kin of the deceased.

The Himalayan state is prone to deadly accidents owing to its rugged terrain, with speeding and overcrowding of vehicles adding to the risk. A survey conducted last year by the Social Welfare Council of India, an NGO, attributed 80% of the accidents in the state involving heavy vehicles, particularly buses, to human errors, 5% to technical failures and 15% to ill-maintained roads. “The state government must immediately order a summary audit of all roads, and engineers and contractors responsible for missing basic installations like crash barriers must be booked for causing countless deaths and injuries,” said PiyushTewari, founder of SaveLIFE Foundation, an organisation working on road safety and emergency medical care.

No official confirmation from US on H-1B cap for Indians: Centre

There are no immediate plans to impose caps on H-1B work visas in retaliation for New Delhi’s data localisation plans though India and the US will have to contend with a full plate of trade-related issues during secretary of state Mike Pompeo’s visit next week, people familiar with developments said.

Trade tensions between the two sides have increased in recent weeks, with India imposing higher tariffs on some American goods on June 16 after the US withdrew export benefits under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) programme. The US has opposed India’s data storage plans that could hit firms such as Wal-Mart and Amazon.

“We are not aware of such plans,” a person familiar with developments said in the wake of a Reuters report that the US is considering a 15% cap on H-1B visas for countries that force foreign companies to store data locally. India is the largest beneficiary of the programme, with about 70% of the 85,000 H-1B visas issued each year going to Indians.

Asked about the H-1B visa issue at a regular news briefing on Thursday, external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, “We have not heard anything officially from the US government on this matter.

“We remain engaged with the US administration…and we have emphasised time and again at all our high-level interactions the contributions of Indian skilled professionals to the growth and development of the US economy.”

Kumar said consultations are underway within the Indian government and between the government and industry on data localisation or the storage of private data of users by foreign firms. The use of such data will have to be balanced with “national priorities and sensitivities,” he said.

“India’s position is in line with global best practices. We will remain engaged with the US on this matter and see how we can dispel any misconceptions on data localisation which they might have,” he added.

The Indian side is looking to Pompeo’s visit during June 25-27 – the first high-level engagement with the US since the general elections – as an opportunity to clear the air on differences over trade-related issues, which are in marked contrast to the robust cooperation on strategic security and defence issues.

Kumar said Pompeo’s visit will be “an important opportunity for both sides to explore ways to further strengthen the India-US strategic partnership and continue the high-level engagement on matters of mutual interest”.

Besides holding talks with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar, Pompeo will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and National Security Adviser AjitDoval on June 26, the main working day of his visit.

The external affairs ministry sought to play down trade-related differences, with Kumar saying, “In a relationship that is as diverse and as deep as the one we have with the US, that there will be certain issues which will be on the table…The overall direction of the relationship remains very positive.”

Source – Hindustan Times

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