Indore, Surat 'cleanest cities' in India: Swachh Survekshan Awards 2023
Indore (PTI): Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Thursday congratulated the people of Indore after the state's commercial capital was declared India's cleanest city for the seventh time in a row.
Indore shared the top position with Surat in Gujarat in the Union government's annual cleanliness survey, which was based on the theme 'Waste to Wealth'.
The award for the cleanest city was given to Yadav by President Droupadi Murmu at a function in New Delhi, which was also attended by state urban administration minister Kailash Vijayvargiya and Indore civic chief Harshika Singh.
Hailing the feat, Yadav said people of Indore have proved that cleanliness is not only their habit but the habit has also become part of their thought process.
Yadav congratulated conservancy workers and urged them to keep up the good work. Many of them were seen celebrating by beating drums and distributing sweets.
Dedicating the victory to Lord Ram, Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava said the city had become a model not only for India but also the world with regard to cleanliness.
In order to maintain its position as India's cleanest city, the civic body had coined the slogan 'Indore will touch seventh sky of cleanliness'. A song based on this slogan was also played by conservancy trucks plying in the city to collect garbage.
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Five killed as moving bus catches fire in Lucknow
Lucknow (PTI): Five passengers, including two children, were killed when a private bus caught fire in the Mohanlalganj area here early Thursday, police said.
They said the incident occurred around 5 am on Kisan Path, a major roadway on the outskirts of Lucknow.
According to sources, the bus was carrying 80 passengers.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (Mohanlalganj) Rajneesh Verma said the bus was en route to Delhi from Begusarai in Bihar when it suddenly caught fire.
"Initial investigation suggests that the fire may have started due to a short circuit in the bus' gearbox," Verma told PTI.
Most of the passengers were asleep when the fire started. It spread rapidly and five passengers -- two women, two children and a man -- died as they were unable to get out in time. Several other passengers sustained injuries and have been taken to a hospital for treatment, police said.
Police identified the deceased as Lakkhi Devi (55), Soni Mahto (26), Devraj (3), Sakshi (2) and Madhusudan (21).
According to eyewitnesses, the bus did not come to a halt immediately after the fire broke out. The flames were visible from almost a kilometre away.
Firefighters reached the spot promptly and managed to control the blaze within half an hour. The bus was gutted with only its metal frame remaining.
Police found that the emergency exit of the bus did not open, trapping passengers sitting in the rear section.
According to authorities, a probe to determine the exact cause of the fire is underway.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath condoled the loss of lives in the incident.
"The chief minister has instructed the district administration officials to reach the spot and expedite the relief work and immediately take the injured to the hospital for proper treatment. He also wished for the speedy recovery of the injured," the Chief Minister's Office said in a post on X.
