Cough syrup deaths: MP court remands TN-based firm owner in judicial custody
Chhindwara (PTI): Ranganathan Govindan, owner of a Tamil Nadu-based firm that manufactured contaminated cough syrup 'Coldrif' linked to the deaths of more than 20 children in Madhya Pradesh, was on Monday remanded in judicial custody by a local court, an official said.
A special investigation team (SIT) had earlier taken Govindan, owner of Sresen Pharma, to Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu for questioning after he was remanded in police custody for 10 days.
He was produced before Additional Session Judge Gautam Gurjar in Parasia town after the custody period ended, SIT chief Jitendra Singh Jaat said.
The official said that Chhindwara-based Dr Praveen Soni, who prescribed 'toxic' syrup, his nephew Rajesh Soni, a wholesaler of medicines and Saurabh Jain, a pharmacist at a medical store owned by Dr Soni's wife, are already in judicial custody.
According to officials, at least 24 children from Chhindwara and nearby districts died from kidney failure after consuming 'Coldrif' syrup, which was found to be toxic.
The SIT chief said the manufacturing unit of the company has been sealed.
Earlier, the state government had suspended two drug inspectors and a deputy director of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), besides transferring the state's drug controller over the deaths.
In a related development, a local court rejected Dr Soni's bail plea, after which he moved the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
