'60 vehicles gutted at Aero India show beyond recognition'
Bengaluru, Mar 5: Sixty of the 277 vehicles gutted in a fire at the Aero India event at the Yelahanka Air Force station on the penultimate day of the air show on February 23 were beyond recognition, Home Minister M B Patil said Tuesday.
The Minister said he had asked officials to clear the insurance settlement amount to those affected at the earliest, as a measure of some relief to them.
He said a total of 277 vehicles were affected in the incident, of which 251 were completely burnt and 26, partially burnt.
"Out of the 251 completely burnt, 60 are beyond recognition, with no engine or chassis number," Patil said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said the government wanted the settlement to be paid at the earliest.
"It was an unfortunate incident. At least if we settle their insurance amount, there will be some kind of relief. We will have to do this as our duty.
Patil said he would be reviewing the insurance settlement and the 251 completely gutted vehicles would get 100 per cent insurance.
The government would look into it case by case and try to provide assistance to cab drivers, if a cab drivers if any among affected had no insurance, on humanitarian grounds, as their life will be dependent on those vehicles.
A major fire broke out at the parking area of the Aero India event at Yelahanka Air Force station on the penultimate day of the air show on February 23, gutting about 277 vehicles, mostly cars.
No casualties were reported in the incident and the parking area was far away from the air force station.
A help desk was set up by the state government under DCP (Law and Order) to help those who had lost their vehicles in the fire to get certificates for facilitating insurance claim.
"Investigation into the incident is being conducted by the Defence Ministry, as it took place under their limits," Patil said.
A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to investigate the cause of the fire.
Officials had earlier said the probable cause of the mishap was fire from an overheated silencer of one of the parked cars, which,accentuated by strong winds,spread quickly.
Patil said the Oriental Insurance Company had settled insurance amounts of 10 of the 11 affected vehicles that were insured with them and handed over cheques to some vehicle owners.
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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.
