5 friends killed in road accident in Haryana's Sonipat
Chandigarh (PTI): Five friends died while two sustained injuries when their SUV rammed into a tree in Haryana's Sonipat district, police said on Saturday.
The victims were returning to Rohtak on Friday evening after attending a wedding ceremony in Gohana, Bhawar village when the accident occurred, they said.
The SUV was mangled in the collision, and three individuals died on the spot, while two succumbed at the hospital. One of the injured remains in critical condition, the police said.
The deceased were identified as Sagar, Deepak, Sahil, Mohit, and Ankush, all aged between 22 and 27, officials said, adding that they were residents of Khidwali and Ghuskani villages in Rohtak district.
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BJD accuses BJP govt of not making effort for special category status to Odisha
Bhubaneswar (PTI): The BJD on Saturday accused the BJP government in Odisha of not making any effort to fulfil the 2014 poll promise of a special category status for the state, and urged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to clarify on the long-standing issue.
Addressing a press conference here, BJD MP Sasmit Patra claimed that Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary had on February 10 said in the Rajya Sabha that there was "no proposal under consideration" of the Centre for granting the special category status to Odisha.
“We need clarification from the chief minister. The BJP, in its 2014 election manifesto, had specified that if it came to power, the party would work towards special category status for Odisha. But the BJP government has not moved an inch to fulfil the poll promise," Patra alleged.
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He challenged the chief minister to get a nod from the state cabinet during its meeting this evening so that the state can place a demand for the special category status before the Centre.
The special category status for Odisha is a long-standing demand.
"The issue was raised for the first time in the National Development Council (NDC) in 1979. Thereafter, the assembly passed several resolutions for the special category status for Odisha, as the state often faces natural calamities and therefore requires special financial assistance to boost development. Resolutions to this effect were passed in the 10th and 11th assembly," an official said.
The previous BJD government had also undertaken a massive signature campaign, involving nearly one crore people, which was submitted to the then President.
