5 killed, 11 injured as bus touches live wire in UP's Ghazipur; 3 officials suspended
Ghazipur (UP), Mar 11: At least five people were killed and 11 others injured when a bus in which they were travelling caught fire after it came in contact with an overhead high-voltage wire here on Monday, police said.
The accident took place when members of a marriage party from Mau were on its way to Mahahar temple in the Mardah police station area, SHO Dharmendra Kumar Pandey told PTI over phone.
Taking note of the incident, state Energy Minister A K Sharma suspended three officials of the power department and terminated a lineman.
Executive engineer Manish, sub-divisional officer Santosh Chowhdury and junior engineer Pradeep Kumar Rai were suspended while services of lineman Narendra, who was on contract, were terminated, an official statement said.
The minister also visited Ghazipur and Mau to meet the victims' families.
The bus came in contact with a high-tension electric line and caught fire, SHO Pandey said.
District Information Officer Rakesh Kumar said that the district magistrate and other senior officials reached the spot.
Condoling the loss of lives, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Aditynath, in a post on X, said financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh will be given to the family of each of the deceased, and Rs 50,000 to the seriously injured persons.
He also directed that free treatment be given to the injured.
"The loss of lives in an accident in Ghazipur district is extremely sad and heart wrenching. My condolences are with the bereaved families. I pray to God to grant peace to the departed souls and speedy recovery to the injured," Adityanath said.
जनपद गाजीपुर में एक दुर्घटना में हुई जनहानि अत्यंत दु:खद एवं हृदय विदारक है। मेरी संवेदनाएं शोक संतप्त परिजनों के साथ हैं।
— Yogi Adityanath (मोदी का परिवार) (@myogiadityanath) March 11, 2024
मृतकों के परिजनों को ₹5-5 लाख एवं गंभीर रूप से घायलों को ₹50-50 हजार की आर्थिक सहायता एवं उनके निःशुल्क उपचार के निर्देश दिए हैं।
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Mumbai-Pune Expressway connecting link now fully operational
Mumbai (PTI): The Mumbai-bound carriageway of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway connecting link was opened to vehicular traffic on Saturday noon after a delay caused by the dismantling of inauguration infrastructure and cleaning work, a day after the Pune section became operational.
The 13.3 km-long "missing link", which bypasses a section of the Bhor Ghat stretch of the expressway and cuts travel time between Mumbai and Pune by 25 to 30 minutes, was inaugurated a day earlier by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the presence of Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar.
The Pune-bound carriageway of the corridor was opened to traffic immediately; however, the Mumbai-bound section remained closed to traffic for several hours after the inauguration.
An official of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation told PTI on Saturday that the opening of the Mumbai-bound carriageway was delayed mainly due to the dismantling of the inauguration infrastructure and cleaning work.
The removal of the stage and other decorations was completed in the morning. The work to load and transport the material slightly delayed the opening of the carriageway.
Vehicular movement on the carriageway began after all the remaining material was cleared and road cleaning was completed, the official added.
The expressway control room said that despite significant vehicular movement, the access-controlled highway has not witnessed any major traffic snarls since Friday evening, after the Pune-bound carriageway of the missing link was opened to traffic.
The Missing Link project connects Khopoli (in Raigad) on the Mumbai side to Kusgaon near Lonavala in Pune district and is expected to make the expressway fully access-controlled, easing congestion in the ghat section.
Developed by the MSRDC and dubbed an "engineering marvel", the project includes two tunnels, two viaducts and a cable-stayed bridge over Tiger Valley. It bypasses the steep, accident-prone ghat section, where frequent traffic snarls are reported during weekends and on public holidays.
