Muslim techie washed away in cauvery while taking selfie; Hindu friend sacrifices his life in rescue
Bengaluru, July 16: In spite of warnings from the concerned authorities against taking selfies in dangerous spots, selfie mania claimed two precious lives in the state on Sunday. While taking selfies, two software engineers from Bengaluru swept away in Cauvery river at Mekedatu in Ramanagara district on Sunday.
The deceased have been identified as Sameer Rahman (29) and Bhavani Shankar (29) of Bannerghatta Road in Bengaluru. They hailed from Bidar. As it was holiday, both of them along with two other friends- Amit and Srikanth- went to Sangama at Mekedatu on two motor bikes. While taking a selfie, Sameer slipped and fell into the water at around 11.30 am. Suddenly, in a bid to save his friend Sameer, Bhavani Shankar plunged into the water. But he also drowned. Both of them washed away in the river and still their bodies were not yet traced.
The police who were informed by the local people rushed to the spot. Both police and fire brigade and emergency service started their search operation. But they have failed to trace the bodies on Sunday as it was dusk and called off their search operation. The search operation was resumed on Monday morning with the help of the locals. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team was also summoned to take up search operation in the river.
Meanwhile, police sources said that following the heavy inflow into the KRS dam, the authorities have opened 12 gates to release the water to the river from the reservoir. This has increased water level in the river suddenly by 60-70 ft than usual level, sources added.
Sathanur police have informed the families of the victims about the incident.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Mumbai Metro lines 9 and 2B open for commuters
Mumbai (PTI): Commercial operations on the first phases of Mumbai Metro corridors 9 and 2B began on Wednesday morning, a day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the mass-transit routes, officials said.
While the Metro 9 marks the first direct connectivity between a suburb in Mumbai and a part of Thane city in the metropolitan region, the Line 2B will provide the first metro connectivity on the Harbour Line in Mumbai.
The 5.6-km elevated Phase 1 stretch of Metro Line 9 comprises four stations -- Dahisar East, Pandurangwadi, Miragaon and Kashigaon. The 5.53-km Phase 1 of Metro Line 2B has five stations, including Deshbhakt N G Acharya Udyan (Diamond Garden), Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chowk, Deonar, Mankhurd and Maharashtra Nagar–Mandale.
ALSO READ: Speaker Om Birla to inaugurate CPA India Region meet in Panaji on Thursday
According to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), Line 9 is expected to cut travel time between Mira-Bhayandar in Thane district and Mumbai to around 30 minutes from the current one to two hours. Built at Rs 6,607 crore, it will eventually provide seamless connectivity to south Mumbai through interlinking with other lines.
With the addition of the two new lines, Mumbai’s operational Metro network has expanded to six corridors, including Line 1 (Ghatkopar-Andheri-Versova), Line 2A (Andheri West-Dahisar East), Line 7 (Dahisar East-Andheri East) and the underground Line 3 (Colaba-Bandra Kurla Complex-SEEPZ).
As per MMRDA, the revised timetable for Line 2A and Line 7 came into effect on Wednesday, aimed at improving frequency, predictability and overall commuter experience.
It said that with the inauguration of Line 9, Metro Line 2A will now operate as a standalone corridor between Andheri West and Dahisar East, with services from 5.50 am till around 11 pm and a peak frequency of about six minutes.
The integrated Line 7-9 corridor (Gundavali to Kashigaon), spanning 19.79 km, will operate from 5.50 am to 11 pm, with a peak frequency of under six minutes and 276 services on weekdays.
Metro Line 2B (Phase 1) services commenced at 6 am and will run till around 10.30 pm at intervals of approximately nine-and-a-half minutes, operating 209 services daily, according to officials.
MMRDA said the integration of Line 7 with Line 9 enables direct connectivity from Andheri East to Mira-Bhayandar, while Lines 2A and 7 will function as separate corridors.
A seamless interchange facility at Dahisar station will allow passengers to switch between Lines 2A and 7 without exiting the “paid” (ticketed) area.
