One more dies in Kerala temple fire accident; toll rises to five
Kasaragod (Kerala) (PTI): One more person died on Saturday from the burns suffered in the recent fireworks accident at a temple near Neeleswaram in this district, raising the death toll to five, officials said.
Rajith, who had been receiving treatment for severe burns at a private hospital in Mangaluru, died in the morning, officials said.
"He had suffered over 50 per cent burns," one of the officials said.
Earlier, four persons had died from burns sustained in the accident.
According to the Kasaragod district administration, 154 people were injured in the accident and of them, 100 were admitted in various hospitals initially.
As of November 8, of the 100, 63 were undergoing treatment in various hospitals and out of them nine were in the ICU, the district administration said.
The incident occurred late on October 28 night at Anjoottanbalam Veererkavu temple near Neeleswaram when firecrackers stored in the vicinity exploded.
Three persons including two temple committee officials have been arrested in connection with the incident after a case was registered under the Explosive Substance Act and various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
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No unannounced load shedding in Kerala, outages due to overload, says Minister
Palakkad (PTI): Kerala Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty on Saturday said there was no unannounced load shedding in the state, attributing recent power interruptions to temporary overload caused by high consumption.
Clarifying concerns raised from various parts of the state, the minister said the disruptions are not deliberate but occur when demand peaks, particularly between 10 pm and 11 pm.
"It is not being done intentionally. Power consumption has risen sharply, and when there is excessive and indiscriminate usage, the system experiences overload, leading to natural supply interruptions," he told reporters here.
His remarks come amid complaints that several areas have been witnessing frequent power cuts, often lasting around 15 minutes and occurring multiple times during the night.
Krishnankutty said the state's power demand has crossed 6,195 MW, putting pressure on the supply system. He added that around 70 per cent of Kerala's electricity is procured from outside, and existing power banking arrangements have been exhausted.
"We have approached the Regulatory Commission seeking permission to purchase more power. However, this will come at a higher cost," he said.
The minister said the government is trying to avoid increasing electricity tariffs and urged consumers to exercise restraint in usage to help manage the situation.
Responding to opposition criticism over the ruling LDF's earlier claims of a decade without power cuts, he said the current situation is not unique to Kerala.
A power crisis is emerging across the country, he said, and sarcastically asked the Opposition to take note of the role of natural factors in this.
Krishnankutty expressed confidence that the situation would improve within two days, while cautioning that long-term energy security would depend on enhancing in-state power generation.
He also warned that future generations could face serious challenges if adequate electricity production capacity is not developed within Kerala.
