Naxals release abducted policeman, school teacher in Chhattisgarh
Raipur, Mar 12: A police sub-inspector (SI) and his school teacher friend, who were abducted by Naxals on Sunday from Dantewada district in Chhattisgarh, have been released, police said.
Talking to PTI, Dantewada Superintendent of Police Abhishek Pallava said, SI Lalit Kashyap and Jaisingh Kureti were released late on Monday night and they safely reached Sameli camp of CRPF on Tuesday morning.
According to the SP, Naxals questioned Kashyap about the movement of police personnel and security camps in the area for two days before releasing the duo.
"The duo was abducted from Jabeli village under Aranpur police station area on Sunday morning when Kashyap had gone to consume liquor with Kureti, a contractual teacher in a government primary school there," he said.
Kashyap, who belongs to the district police, is posted at the camp of 'C' company of CRPF's 111th battalion in Sameli village in the area for coordination between local police and paramilitary personnel in anti-Naxal operations.
As per the preliminary information, Kureti had come to Sameli camp for some work on Sunday morning, and then Kashyap went along with him to Jabeli, located in a very sensitive area near his posting place, to consume liquor.
Just then, a group of 40-50 armed Naxals led by militia commander Deva stormed the village and took the SI and Kureti along with them, he added.
"Naxas questioned Kashyap about the movement of police personnel and security camps in the area for two days.
Besides that, ultras warned Kureti to stay away from the police personnel," Pallava said.
Meanwhile, Naxals also tried to trap security forces by spreading false information that they had killed the abducted SI. But the security forces took all the necessary precautionary measures while searching for their whereabouts in the forest area, he added.
"Due to mounting pressure from local public representatives and villagers, Naxals had to free the policeman and teacher on Monday late night," the SP said .
Kashyap has been suspended for alleged negligence in discharging duty as he went outside the camp without permission and consumed liquor during the duty hours, he said.
"During the probe, it also came to light that even in the past, he had allegedly left the camp many times without informing anyone," Pallava said adding that a departmental enquiry has also initiated against the SI.
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Commercial LPG hike: Delhi restaurant owners warn of higher menu rates, job losses
New Delhi (PTI) A day after a 50 per cent rise in commercial LPG cylinder prices, Delhi's food business, with restaurant owners and street vendors have warned of higher menu rates, financial strain and potential job losses if the trend persists.
The price of commercial LPG was hiked by a steep Rs 993 per 19 kg cylinder, marking the third consecutive monthly hike amid rising global energy prices linked to the West Asia conflict.
For many in the restaurant industry, the spike has been both sudden and steep.
Manpreet Singh, honorary treasurer of the National Restaurant Association of India, said that eateries are already grappling with supply challenges alongside rising costs.
"There is a huge difficulty in getting these cylinders, and black marketing is also increasing in many unregulated sectors," he said, noting that prices that were once around Rs 1,600, often dropping to nearly Rs 1,300 with discounts, have now surged to between Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,000 per cylinder.
He further added that a medium-sized restaurant typically uses between two and five cylinders daily, making the increase particularly burdensome as costs mount.
Singh further said that as costs mount, smaller establishments could struggle to stay afloat. Instead, the association has advised restaurants to shift towards piped natural gas connections through Indraprastha Gas Limited as a more sustainable alternative.
"If this problem continues, PNG is the only long-term solution," he said, adding that temporary measures like coal offer limited relief due to slower cooking times and that it can largely be used only for tandoors.
Echoing similar concerns, Kabir Suri, owner of Mamagoto in Khan Market, said the impact is already visible across the industry. "There has been almost a threefold increase in cylinder prices for restaurants," he said, adding that rising fuel and logistics costs are compounding the pressure.
"If this continues, it will become a significant financial burden, and food prices will inevitably go up. Adding to this burden, higher fuel costs are also affecting logistics and transportation, making a price rise unavoidable. The extent of the impact will vary between small eateries and large chains depending on their scale," he said.
Global oil prices have surged nearly 50 per cent following disruptions in energy supply chains due to the West Asia conflict, pushing up commercial fuel costs and transport expenses.
A West Delhi-based restaurateur said they are trying to manage rising costs while keeping their staff secure. "We are trying to ensure that our staff, from kitchen workers to waiters, are paid on time and do not face immediate hardship," the owner said.
"We are a small restaurant with seating for about 20 to 25 people at a time. But if this continues for long, we will have to take difficult calls. There is only so much we can absorb, and menu prices will have to go up. We hope this does not continue for a longer period," he said.
Another restaurant owner in North Delhi, who did not wish to be named, said operational adjustments alone may not be enough. "We are checking our costs very carefully and trying to cut wherever possible, but if fuel prices remain high, it will eventually affect how we run the business," the owner said.
"Coal helps in tandoor cooking, but it takes more time," the owner further added.
The strain is even more acute among street vendors, many of whom operate on thin margins. A vendor in Saket said he had recently expanded his business, moving from a mobile cart to a rented outlet.
"I have a family to feed and more responsibilities now. Earlier, I managed with a moving cart, but after renting the place, expenses increased," he said. "Whenever cylinders were unavailable, I had to buy them at higher rates in the black market. Now even regular supply is too expensive, and if this continues, we may have to shut down," he added.
In Laxmi Nagar, another vendor said they are struggling to keep the business running. "Sometimes we even used domestic cylinders from home when supply ran out because we had to keep the stall running," he said, adding that rising costs leave little choice but to increase prices or bear losses.
On April 1, the rates of commercial LPG cylinders were hiked by Rs 195.50 per cylinder, followed by a Rs 114.5 hike on March 1, taking the total increase over the past three months to Rs 1,303. With the latest revision, a 19 kg commercial LPG cylinder now costs Rs 3,371.5 in Delhi, up from Rs 2,078.5 earlier.
The prices of domestic LPG cylinders used for household cooking have remained unchanged. They were last increased by Rs 60 per 14.2 kg cylinder on March 7 and currently cost Rs 913 in Delhi.
