Endangered soft-shell turtles seized in Bengal
Kolkata, May 26: West Bengal's CID on Saturday seized a consignment of endangered Indian soft-shell turtles having market value of almost Rs 20 lakh from the state's Howrah district, according to an official statement.
Acting on a tip off that the turtles - smuggled from Bhubaneswar - were being taken to North 24 Parganas district via National Highway 6, the CID organised a raid in communication with WildLife Crime Control Bureau and the state Forest Department.
The joint team raided Birati in North 24 Parganas and the Dhulagarh toll tax area in Hooghly district and apprehended a truck at the latter spot and found the reptiles, the CID release said.
Four persons - two businessmen, the truck driver and a labourer - have been detained and the vehicle seized.
The team has unloaded over 90 boxes of turtles. The counting process was on.
"This is probably the highest recovery of turtles in West Bengal and second biggest in India, as reported by WCCB," said the release.
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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.
