Mumbai (PTI): At least 11 persons, most of them workers, were injured on Friday in an explosion at a chemical factory in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district, some 250 kilometres from here, police said.

Four of those injured in the explosion, caused by a fire in a reactor at Dr Khan Industrial Consultants (DKIC) unit in Lote Parshuram MIDC (chemical zone), are in a serious condition, an official said.

"The incident took place at 2pm. Workers noticed a fire in the reactor, which soon exploded. Eleven persons present at the time sustained injuries. Four have got severe burn injuries and have been admitted to the burns centre in Navi Mumbai. The rest are in a hospital in Lote Parshuram," he said.

Three fire engines were deployed to tackle the blaze, he said, adding the situation was brought under control two hours later.

DKIC is a leading manufacturer of various specialty silica based chemicals and chemical intermediates and caters to a wide array of industries ranging from steel, textile, paints and electronics.

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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.