Bhuj and the adjoining areas in Kutch district of Gujarat, prone to natural calamities, once again bore the brunt of ravaging torrential rains which surpassed all the records of previous floods. All irrigation dams, streams and reservoirs brimmed to capacity to submerge a number of villages under flood water for days.

Military Station, Bhuj, a witness to the devastating earthquake of January 26, 2001, stood upto the Army's motto-Service Before Self-and plunged into relief work. Relief camps under the aegis of AWWA, Bhuj were established by a Bihar Battalion at Bhendiyara and Rudramata to bring the paralysed life back to normaly. Hot meals were served to the needy villagers. A medical aid camp was also conducted to distribute medicines among the sick. The members of the relief team collected relief material which included blankets and clothes from NGOs and state government.

input : Maj SK Srivastav

The Security Forces deployed in Sadar Hills district in Manipur have been doing yeomen service to the social and economic development of the region. In the past few years, the Armed Forces have spent around Rs 30 lakh on various projects in Sadar Hills area. These include vocational and computer training, provision of civic amenities like water and sanitation, construction of schools, health centres, community halls, playfields and roads, career counselling-cum-coaching and conduct of medical and veterinary camps.

Altogether, 20 civic action projects have been executed in Sadar Hills in the last three years. These included construction of a community building at Tapau village at a cost of Rs 5 lakh, a computer training centre at Motbung at a cost of Rs 2 lakh, a tailoring and embroidery centre at Keithelmanbi at a cost of Rs 3 lakh, a community building at Motbung at a cost of Rs 2 lakh and a vocational training centre at Turibari at a cost of Rs 1 lakh.

In addition, special medical camps are conducted every month wherein the Army medical doctors and staff go to the hinterland to provide aid to the people who are unable to approach the doctors.

A two-day update on "Nuclear Biological Chemical Warfare (NBCW) : The Medical Perspective" was organised by the Base Hospital, Delhi Cantt. It was inaugurated by Lt Gen Shantonu Chaudhry, Vice Chief of Army Staff.

The update was attended by senior medical officers, specialists from all over the country and senior officers from Directorate General Medical Services (Army). The highlight of the update was a live demonstration of the use of protective equipment available in the country including the Swedish Hazmat vehicles. Three vehicles have been procured by the government of Delhi at a cost of approximately seven crores each.

Stressing the importance of the update, Lt Gen Chaudhry said that in the era of nuclear arms race and escalating terrorism, it is essential to be aware of the management of mass casualties resulting from NBCW. Brig BM Mohanti, Commandant, Base Hospital and Chairperson underlined the objectives of the update.

- PIB (DW)

The Indian Coast Guard has rescued 21 merchantmen on high seas, 370 nautical miles off Port Blair. It received a maritime distress call of a flooding vessel MV Jubilee with 21 crew members onboard. The crew members were planning to abandon the vessel which was within Indian search and rescue region. Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, Port Blair was requested to respond. The Rescue Centre quickly identified potential ships in areas and diverted MV Chahaya Star, the nearest ship. While Jubilee sank, all crew were rescued in less than three hours. The vessels had crew from Myanmar, India, China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. They were brought to Kolkata.