Girls taking part in the march past to mark the 112th birth anniversary of Jananeta Irabot

197 dead in temple stampede in Jodhpur
JODHPUR, Sep 30
In one of worst tragedies of its kind in India, 197 people are dead, mostly men, and several injured in a stampede that took place when thousands of devotees gathered at a 15th century temple in Jodhpur on the occasion of Navaratri festival on Tuesday.
It is feared that the toll may cross 200.
The worshippers had gathered at the Chamunda Devi Temple situated on a hill top in the precincts of Mehrangarh Fort when the tragedy struck at around 5.30 am after some devotees slipped on a slope causing the stampede.
The injured are being treated in various hospitals, Rajasthan’s Principal Secretary (Home) SN Thanvi said. “As some devotees slipped on the slope on the temple path, others gathered there started falling on each other causing the stampede. A majority of those killed died due to suffocation as a result of the stampede,” he said in Jaipur.
According to reports, there is shortage of oxygen in hospitals.
Director General of Police (DGP), Rajasthan, KS Bains, however, said that nearly 100 people were injured in the incident.
Officials said most of the dead were men as the stampede took place in the separate queue for males for going to the temple.
About 15 to 20 people were killed at the spot and the others succumbed to their injuries in Mahatma Gandhi Hospital, Mathura Das Hospital and Sun City Hospital, among others, in Jodhpur.
The dead include a large number of young people, they said.
The devotees in large numbers, including women, had gathered at the temple from early this morning on the occasion of Navaratri festival.
Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria said sufficient police deployment had been ensured and there were separate queues for men and women.
But there was a huge rush in the queue for men and some people slipped on a slope which led to the stampede, Kataria said.
The civil authorities have sought the help of the Army to deal with the situation, Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Kanhaiya Lal said.
Officials said that the stampede occurred as the devotees along the 2-km-long route to the temple tried to rush towards its door as soon as it opened.
The situation went out of control as devotees, carrying offerings, jostled with each other and tried to rush towards the temple door breaking the barricades, they said.
Inspector General of Police, Jodhpur, Rajiv Dasod said some of the devotees slipped on the 75-metre-long slope on the temple path causing the stampede in the 100-metre zone around it.
“There has been no casualty in the queue for women in which a large number of children were also present,” he added.
In Jaipur, Chief Secretary DC Samant called a high-level meeting to discuss the relief and rescue measures, official sources said.
Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, who is holding Navratri prayers at Tripura Sundari in Banswara district, will visit Jodhpur, the sources said.
A few eyewitness to the incident told police that a side wall of the temple had also collapsed due to pressure from the large number of devotees.
Chamunda Devi Temple is the “Kul Devi” of the former Maharajah of Jodhpur, Gaj Singh, and is run by a private trust.
Agencies

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Withering Yongchak
C

AU scientists make major breakthrough
By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Sep 28: In a major breakthrough, an experiment conducted by scientists of Central Agricultural University to check extensive withering of Yongchak plants (tree bean) has proved successful.
Back in 2005 when mobile phone service was not yet extensive, there were instances of widespread withering of Yongchak plants at Kachi Khul, Nungaipokpi, Wabagai, Takyel etc. Following the incident, University experts conducted a research and they were able to identify the diseases responsible for the death of Yongchak plants.
In 2005, CAU experts identified 100 Yongchak plants in the initial stage of withering and administered insecticides and pesticides.
The efforts of the CAU experts proved a success as these Yongchak plants recovered from withering. Since 2005, the experts have been continuing administering insecticides/pesticides. Administering of insecticides/pesticides to Yongchak plants should be done between May and June after the plants have bore fruits.
Talking to The Sangai Express, Assistant Professor of the Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, CAU Dr Kh Ibohal said that the withering and subsequent death of Yongchak plants were caused by such pests/insects as common stem borer, Asian Long Horn Beetle locally known as (Kangchek Manbi Til), bark eating caterpillar (maku chabi til) and almond moth which bores and eats up Yongchak flower (Kakshi).
Speaking during a documentation programme held under the aegis of Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Andro on Plant Health, Management of Tree Bean on September 26, Dr Kh Ibohal explained that attack by diseases was responsible for withering of Yongchak plants to about 60 percent while the rest was caused by unavailability of minerals required by Yongchak plants and lack of proper care.
Another factor is the presence of nitrogen in Yongchak plants in relatively large quantity which enables insects to bore through their bark and survive inside the trees.
Talking about the experiment conducted by CAU scientists, Dr Ibohal compared spraying insecticides on Yongchak plants to injecting glucose solution to human beings.
The insecticides should be in such a form which can absorbed by the plants.
The insecticides/pesticides should be sprayed in the form of water solution, he elaborated.
On injecting insecticides, Dr Ibohal said that a hole should be made into Yongchak tree two and half feet above the ground and then the insecticide should be injected through the hole. He further invited Yongchak growers to contact CAU at any time for details on the disease control measure.
Saying that a Yongchak plant can live up to 80 years and it starts bearing fruits after 6 to 8 years, Dr Ibohal informed that a Yongchak plant starts withering 10 years after an insect/pest had entered into the tree and survived inside. This means that the Yongchak plants now withering have been attacked by insects/pests 10 years back, he inferred.
Taking into account of the extent of damage to Yongchak plants, the CAU scientist asserted that it’s time for the Government to frame a clear cut policy to fight the disease and to activate its relevant machineries.
He also appealed to scientists, farmers and NGOs to join hands and take up collective efforts to control the disease.
According to sources, Yongchak produced in the State can fetch Rs 5 crores in a year. However, with the extensive withering of Yongchak plants, the annual total produce has been severely reduced, diminishing the annual earning by 30 percent.
During the documentation programme held at Andro on September 26, subject matter specialists of KVK Andro including Dr Ibohal searched out Yongchak plants with the help of the local villagers which were just on the initial stage of withering . These Yongchak plants were administered insecticides/pesticides.
Moreover, the scientists identified the insects which usually infect Yongchak plants to the villagers.

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