LEAD

In a major relief amid the tragic disaster after a glacier burst in Uttarakhand on Sunday triggering flash floods, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel have rescued all the 16 people who were trapped in the tunnel near Tapovan, Chamoli, reported an agency.

At least 150 labourers working at the Tapovan power project are feared dead or missing even as three bodies have been recovered, an ITBP spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that due to the collapse of at least three bridges in Reni village, including one of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), connectivity with some of their border posts has been "totally restricted".

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police guards the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.

New Delhi: The three-hour nationwide "chakka jam" -- blockade of national and state highways -- by farmers was held amid a high alert in Delhi on Saturday. Highways across north India, including the Eastern Peripheral Expressway around Delhi, were blocked by farmers protesting against the centre's three farm laws passed in September. In Bengaluru, 30 people were taken into preventive custody. "We won't return home unless our demands are met", said farmer leader Rakesh Tikait, whose emotional outburst after the violence during Republic Day's tractor rally gave a second wind to the protest being held by lakhs of farmers at the borders of Delhi for more than two months.

The farmers on Saturday reiterated that the agitation will continue till the farm laws are withdrawn. A series of meetings between the Centre and the farmers' representatives have drawn a blank.

Ahead of the nationwide protest over new farm laws, Samyukta Kisan Morcha on Friday said the pan-India 'Chakka Jam' will not be observed in Delhi-NCR and all roads leading inside Delhi to remain open except the ones where farmers' protest are already going on.

"No Chakka Jaam in Delhi-NCR, all roads leading inside Delhi to remain open except the ones where farmers' protest are already going on," the Samyukta Kisan Morcha said in a statement.

The farmers union also stated that the 'Chakka Jam' will last from 12-3 PM and all national and state highways across the country will be blocked. However, emergency and essential services, like ambulance and school bus, will not be stopped, it said.

Amid the ongoing farmers' protests near the borders of Delhi, the Delhi Police on Thursday clarified that it has registered an FIR against the creators of the toolkit but haven't named anybody in the FIR. Earlier, it was reported that a case has been filed against Sweden's climate and environmental activist Greta Thunberg over her tweets on farmers' protests.

On February 3, the teen activist took to micro-blogging website, Twitter, to express her concerns over farmers agitation and shared a post stating solidarity with the farmers. "We haven't named anybody in the FIR, it's only against the creators of the toolkit which is a matter of investigation and Delhi Police will be investigating that case," said Special Commissioner of Police (CP) Praveer Ranjan when asked if Police has named Thunberg in the FIR.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Wednesday took a swipe at the Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre saying that the "reputation of India has taken a massive hit" with barricading at Delhi's borders.

Responding to a question if India's image at the international level has taken a beating with barricading at Delhi's borders where farmers are protesting and reports of treatment meted out to them, Gandhi said, "Absolutely the reputation of India has taken a massive hit. Not only on how we are treating our farmers, but on how we treat our people, how we treat journalists."

"Our biggest strength, you can call it soft power, has been shattered by the BJP-RSS, their mindset," he said at a special press conference at the AICC headquarters in the national capital.