Blog

64-year-old jailed for sexually abusing a minor

The Kaithal police have arrested three persons for allegedly demanding a ransom of Rs 10 lakh from a contractor of the grain market.

The accused have been identified as Pargat Singh, Kuldeep and Jagdeep, all residents of Cheeka, in the district. They made a WhatsApp call to contractor Jitender of Gulmohar City in Kaithal, threatening him not to take contract of the grain market or face dire consequences.

Giving details, Maqsood Ahmed, Superintendent of Police, said during investigation, the accused said Pargat Singh was willing to take the contract of lifting grains in mandis. He lured Kuldeep and Jagdeep into demanding a ransom from the contractor and also threatened the victim not to take the contract of lifting grain in the grain market. Pargat assured them that he would give them money after getting the contract, the SP added.

The accused demanded a ransom on March 13 and later on March 16. A case has been registered at the Titram police station. The case was assigned to the CIA-1 unit and the team members arrested them. The police also seized mobile phone used in demanding money, the SP added. The investigation further revealed that Kuldeep and Jagdeep were accused in a murder case registered in Patiala. Jagdeep was also accused in a thrashing case registered at Ghula and Cheeka police stations, the SP said.

They were produced in the court and sent to judicial custody, the SP added.

March 23, 2023
One killed, two injured in accident in Kullu

One person died while two others were injured today in a road accident near Senthua village in Nirmand subdivision of the district. The car, in which they were travelling, rolled down into a deep gorge near Senthua village.

According to the Kullu District Emergency Operation Centre (DEOC), there were three occupants in the car, one of whom died on the spot. The deceased has been identified as Nahar Das (63) of Senthua village. Nahar’s wife Meera Devi (56) and driver Pawan Kumar (38) of Nitther village were referred to the Rampur Hospital.

Anni DSP Ravinder Negi said the police carried out the rescue operation. A case had been registered and probe was underway, he added.

March 23, 2023
Normal life disrupted due to rain in Palampur

Heavy rainfall and hailstorm, accompanied by high-velocity winds lashed Palampur and its adjoining areas last night, disrupting normal life in many parts of the region.

As per the reports, Maranda, Holta, Banuri, Tanda, Rajpur, Gopalpur and Panchrukhi were among the worst-affected. Several trees were uprooted in these areas, blocking local roads and highways.

The vehicular traffic remained suspended on the Pathankot-Mandi national highway near Kalu Di Hatti for hours, after the uprooting of pine trees along the highway. Long queues of vehicles were seen between Maranda and Kalu Di Hatti. Later, the administration diverted the traffic via Mehaja-Sidhpur roads, before the traffic was restored in the morning.

NHAI Project Director Vikas Surjewala said, “As soon as I received the reports of uprooting of trees along the highway, heavy machinery was deployed to remove the trees. The traffic was restored to normal by afternoon.”

Power supply was also disrupted in lower areas of Palampur, but it was restored within a few hours. Vehicular traffic to Chhota Bhanghal was suspended after snowfall near Multhan, Bara Gram, Luhardi and Kothi Kohar. A number of passengers were reportedly stranded at Multhan.

No tandem or solo flights took off from Billing today. The administration has suspended all paragliding activities in Bir-Billing to avoid mishaps.

Meanwhile, upper reaches of the Dhauladhar ranges experienced unusual snowfall. The entire valley was in the grip of a cold wave. Rainfall and hailstorm caused extensive damage to various crops as fields were waterlogged. Mango and other fruit crop were also damaged because of the untimely rain and cold weather.

March 23, 2023
Development of Kangra is the priority of the Chief Minister: Butail

The development of Kangra district is the top priority of the government,” said Gokul Butail, IT Adviser to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu here today.

Butail, while addressing mediapersons, said the Chief Minister had come out with new projects for Kangra, including the expansion of the Gaggal airport, a zoo at Bankhandi, widening of the Palampur-Mandi highway and the development of Palampur as an IT hub.

He said, “For the first time, the state has allocated Rs 2,000 crore for the expansion of the Gaggal airport. The Union Government had announced Rs 400 crore for the airport expansion during the BJP government but the money never reached Shimla.”

Butail said that the Congress government had given forest and environment clearances to many projects that were hanging fire during the BJP government.

March 23, 2023
BJP government misused Jal Jeevan Mission funds: Agnihotri

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri today said in the Assembly that the previous BJP government had misused funds under the Jal Jeevan Mission to purchase pipes worth Rs 2,000 crore to get political mileage in the last Assembly elections.

Bhattiyat MLA Kuldeep Pathania and Dharamsala MLA Sudhir Sharma had sought information on the issue during the Question Hour. Agnihotri said, “Government funds were blatantly misused for purchasing pipes from 13 firms just to retain power but even that did not help the BJP.”

Agnihotri, who also holds the Jal Shakti portfolio, said that the previous BJP government instead of enhancing water sources to ensure proper supply laid thrust on purchasing pipes. This was tantamount to misuse of public money. “The Jal Jeevan Mission was to end in 2024 but the previous BJP government was in a hurry to secure political dividends and the scheme ended two years in advance,” he alleged.

Kuldeep Pathania said, “The government must clarify whether the pipes were purchased on the recommendation of the purchase committee with quality checks, as one can see piles of pipes dumped all across the state.” He claimed that the quality of pipes remained the same but the names of firms based in Odisha, Delhi and Ghaziabad kept changing.

Dharampur MLA Chander Shekhar said that the government should come out with a White Paper on the purchase of pipes by the Jal Shakti Department to present a clear picture. “The fact that you (Chander Shekhar) won the election from Dharampur is the biggest White Paper on the purchase of pipes,” said Agnihotri.

To questions asked by Paonta Sahib MLA Sukh Ram Chaudhary and Naina Devi MLA Randhir Sharma, Agnihotri informed the House that 9.22 lakh water tap connections had been given under the Jal Jeevan Mission and only 36,463 connections were pending. “Today, the situation is like ‘Nal bin jal’, as the previous government had installed taps without enhancing water sources,” he said.

The Deputy Chief Minister assured the members that though the Jal Jeevan Mission had ended, the department would give tap connections on demand to everyone. He refuted BJP allegation that all works in the Jal Shakti Department had come to a standstill, as the payments of contractors had been stopped.

March 23, 2023
Surveyed the area for power supply

The BJP government of Assam has responded to a request made by the Trinamul government of Bengal to supply power to three villages in Cooch Behar near the interstate border.

Last month, a senior official of West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL) sent a letter to the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL), saying three villages in Tufanganj-II block of Cooch Behar, lack power supply, and it would be cheaper for Bengal to buy APDCL’s power to the villages.

On Tuesday, teams from both power distribution companies WBSEDCL and APDCL conducted a joint site visit for the feasibility of electricity supply to the villages.

“The visit was made with APDCL authorities to extend the APDCL network at two points for grid power at Falimari (for Purba Falimari, Chhat Falimari villages) and Baro Laukuthi. They (the APDCL) showed positive response and will submit a technical feasibility report as and when their higher authority asks for it,” said a source in WBSEDCL.

Another survey has been planned on March 25 for a final estimation.

Villages Purba Falimari, Chhat Falimari and Baro Laukuthi are on the other side of the Sankosh river, which runs along the Bengal-Assam border.

This January, residents of these villages, with some 10,000 dwellers in all, announced they would boycott panchayat elections if they didn’t get electricity.

Trinamul local leaders informed their state-level leaders about the boycott call. The state power department acted and a letter was sent to the APDCL.

“If the WBSEDCL supplies electricity, the power cable has to be passed over the Sankosh river, which is costly. The APDCL’s power supply is available near the villages. If the APDCL sets up infrastructure and supplies power to the villages, the WBSEDCL will pay for it,” said a department source.

Avijit De Bhowmik, the Cooch Behar district Trinamul chief, who spoke to angry villagers on March 20, welcomed the survey.

“The Left Front government never paid attention to the inconveniences of these villagers. Our government has taken up the initiative to provide electricity in these areas and will buy power from Assam. We believe work will start soon,” he said.

BJP leaders scoffed at the Bengal government.

“Mamata Banerjee and her party leaders often criticise BJP state governments. But they had to approach a BJPruled state for power to villages of Bengal. It indicates the insincerity of the Trinamulgovernment to augment basic infrastructure such as power supply in villages,” said Nikhil Ranjan Dey, the BJP MLA ofCooch Behar South.

March 23, 2023
Two laborers died of suffocation in Karnataka

On Tuesday, while clearing a drainage in the Jagaluru taluk hamlet of Basavanakote, two municipal workers became unwell and passed away at the Chigateri district hospital.

Eyewitnesses were present during the imcident and said said that Dundappa (45) and Nagappa (42) from Basavanakote village perished from suffocation.Each one of them supported himself only via work. Without providing them with any safety equipment, Dundappa and Nagappa were instructed to clear the obstructed drainage by Shashidhar Patil, the panchayat development officer of Basavanakote village.
The workers ended up breathing in hazardous gas coming from the drains as a result of this. They soon complained of discomfort and were transferred to Arsikere PHC. They received first aid in Arsikere before being transferred to the district hospital in Chigateri, where they passed away.
Dundappa and Nagappa reportedly became ill while cleaning the drainage, according to Chandrashekhar, the executive officer of the Jagaluru taluk panchayat. He noted that additional inquiries are ongoing.

M Shivanna Kote, Chairperson, of the Safai Karamchari Commission explained that before requesting the personnel to enter the manhole, adequate safety measures had to have been performed. Without using safety equipment, the workmen entered the 4-foot manhole. They died as a result of this. He continued by saying that he would pay a visit to Dundappa and Nagappa’s kin on Thursday and make sure they received all advantages.

March 23, 2023
online market cess collection will start soon

Guntur: The agriculture marketing department will introduce an online market cess collection system at all the department toll gates in the State within two weeks to check irregularities and to maintain transparency in cess collections. Following the instructions of the government, the officials have already negotiated with the bankers and made necessary arrangements.

According to Principal Secretary (Agricultural Marketing and Cooperative Society) Chiranjeevi Chowdary, the agriculture marketing department has already started exercise in this regard and a meeting was held with the bank officials. The officials were planning to introduce Google Pay, Phone Pe and other payment systems for collecting marketing cess at the check-posts. There are 216 agriculture market yards and 450 agriculture marketing department check-posts. At present, the department is getting Rs 218 crore revenue through marketing cess per annum.

Similarly, the department has taken steps to totally computerise all the 2,041 Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies for maintaining transparency in accounts and to check irregularities in the PACS. They have been waiting for software from the Central government to computerise the PACS and steps were being taken to financially strengthen the PACS.

The agriculture marketing department has decided to set up one stall at all the Rythu Bazaars across the State to sell organic farming and nature farming rice, pulses, vegetables, fruits and other products for the convenience of the consumers. Now, the consumers are purchasing rice, pulses, vegetables and fruits produced under organic farming at super markets. The department observed that farmers will get marketing facilities if stalls are set up. The AP Markfed has procured 40,000 tonnes of Bengal gram from the farmers so far against 1.22 lakh tonnes target fixed for the State. The officials have cleared the payments.

March 23, 2023
Minister participated in Ugadi celebrations

Ongole (Prakasam district): Apart from the celebrations in various temples in the town, district-level Ugadi celebrations were held at Police Kalyana Mandapam in Ongole on Wednesday. Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development Dr Audimulapu Suresh, Prakasam district Collector AS Dinesh Kumar, Bapatla district Collector Vijaya Krishnan, Joint Collector M Abhishikt Kishore, ZP Chairperson Buchepalli Venkayamma, Advisor to the State government on Social Justice Jupudi Prabhakar Rao and other dignitaries participated in the celebrations. Poets read out poems welcoming the Shobhakruth Telugu New Year and pundits read Panchangam, explaining future and fortune of the people.

March 23, 2023
Two people died in road accident

Visakhapatnam: Two persons died on the spot in a road accident that occurred at Valandapeta near Bheemunipatnam.

The incident happened in the wee hours of Thursday when the driver felt sleepy and had hit the divider and collided with a lorry.

Two persons travelling in the car died on the spot. They were identified as L Durga Prasad and P Santosh and residents of Srikakulam.

The bodies were shifted to King George Hospital for postmortem.

March 23, 2023