Rain, wind cause blackout in Chatra

Chatra: Incessant rain accompanied by strong wind resulted in power outages in Chatra for several on Sunday. A fault was reported in a 33,000 volt supply network after a live high tension wire came in contact with branches of a tree. However, restoration of supply was delayed for hours after a man posed as a forest department official and did not allow electricity department employees to cut tree branches to facilitate repair work. After senior administrative and forest officers intervened a few branches were chopped off and repairing of the overhead high tension live wire was done. The power supply was restored in the afternoon. Sources said trouble began after heavy rain along with strong wind started since Sunday early morning. This made branches of a tree come in contact of 33,000 volt supply network. This resulted in a power cut in the town and all the 12 blocks of the district.When junior engineer Nityanand Rai of the electricity department reached the spot, he was made to talk to a man over phone who identified himself as forest range officer Surya Bhushan Kumar who asked him to stop the work. Meanwhile, Kumar refuted his involvement in the issue.

Skeleton found in Chatra forest, probe on

A human skeleton was discovered in the forest of Karma, Chatra. The skull was found a short distance away from the rest of the remains, near some clothing. Villagers alerted the police, who have sent the skeleton to the Chatra sadar hospital for forensic tests. The investigation is ongoing as no complaints have been filed. In other news, a well-preserved Camptosaurus dinosaur skeleton known as "Barry" will be auctioned in Paris, and mosquito breeding has been found in 83 out of 197 police stations in Delhi.

15 yrs on, Lawalong-Panki road in Chatra awaits repair

The Lawalong-Panki road in Chatra, India, is in poor condition due to potholes, affecting the commute of around 25,000 people. The road has not been repaired for 15 years, as it passes through a wildlife sanctuary and requires forest clearance for any repair work. The rural works department had planned to construct the road in 2020 but canceled it due to a lack of clearance from the forest department. Other cities like Ludhiana and Panchkula are also facing issues with road repairs. In Ludhiana, road reconstruction work in Model Town Gole Market has been delayed due to rainfall.

Goa rains: Trees hit homes & wires, traffic flow goes haywire

Continuous rainfall, accompanied by strong winds, caused disruptions in Goa, India over the weekend. Electricity poles and trees were brought down, and landslides occurred in some areas. Fortunately, no casualties were reported. The India Meteorological Department has issued a warning that the rainfall will increase in the next two days due to low-pressure areas over the state. The persistent rain has caused damage to properties, including a loss of approximately Rs 2 lakh to a home in Mapusa and Rs 1.4 lakh to a car in Porvorim. Waterlogging and slow vehicular movement were also observed.