'Ravana Dahan' has been taking place at accident site for over 20 years: Locals
Amritsar, Oct 20: For more than 20 years, people from adjoining villages would gather at the vacant plot at Joda Phatak, barely 50 metres from railway tracks, to witness the burning of Ravana effigy as part of Dussehra celebrations.
What has been a source of joy and excitement to the young and the old for over two decades turned out to be a nightmare on Friday, after at least 61 revellers who had spilled onto railway tracks were mowed down by a train.
Fifty-year-old Jaswant said that the Ravana effigy is burnt at this plot, while the Ramlila event was organised at a good distance from the railway tracks.
Jawant claimed that people did not hear horn of the train coming from Jalandhar as there were noise due to bursting of firecrackers.
Before the train going to Amritsar from Jalandhar that mowed down the revellers, two trains passed through the tracks, but they slowed down their speed, he claimed.
Locals said that the train tragedy took place around 7.10 pm on Friday when railway tracks were packed with people who were watching the burning of Ravana effigy.
"Ravana effigy is being burnt at this vacant plot for over 20 years, but no such incident has happened earlier," Balwikdar, another resident, said
At least 61 people were killed and 72 injured Friday evening after a crowd of Dussehra revellers that had spilled onto railway tracks while watching burning of Ravana effigy was run over by a train near here, officials said.
The train was coming from Jalandhar when the accident occurred at Joda Phatak near Amritsar, where at least 300 people were watching 'Ravana dahan' at a ground adjacent to the tracks.
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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.
