Death toll in Telangana bus accident rises to 61
Hyderabad: The death toll in Tuesday's bus tragedy in Telangana rose to 61 with three passengers succumbing to their injuries on Wednesday.
As many as 58 people were killed when an overcrowded bus of state-owned Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) plunged into a gorge near Kondagattu in Jagtial district, about 190 km from Hyderabad, on Tuesday.
Two injured succumbed at a hospital in Karimnagar on Wednesday night. One person succumbed earlier in the day. According to officials, 40 injured were still undergoing treatment at various hospitals in Jagtial, Karimnagar and Hyderabad.
The bus, carrying 101 passengers, fell into the gorge when the driver lost control at a speed breaker. Brake failure is suspected to be the cause of what is believed to be the worst-ever bus accident in the country.
The state government has suspended depot manager of TSRTC's Jagtial depot for alleged negligence and ordered a thorough probe.
Meanwhile, a lawyer on Wednesday approached State Human Rights Commission, seeking direction to police to book cases of culpable homicide against the officials whose negligence led to the accident.
Arun Kumar, a High Court lawyer, also sought Rs 25 lakh ex-gratia each for the families of the dead.
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17,969 acres Wakf property encroached in Karnataka, mostly by Muslims: Minister Khan
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister for Wakf & Minority Welfare B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan told the Legislative Assembly on Monday that 17,969 acres of Wakf property have been encroached upon in the state, mostly by Muslims themselves.
The minister was responding to a question by Afzalpur Congress MLA M Y Patil during the Question Hour.
"Total Wakf property across the state is 1,12,860 acres, out of which only 20,054 acres is in our hands. As many as 17,969 acres have been encroached, 47,263 acres have gone under the Inam Abolition Act and 23,627 acres have gone under the Land Reforms Act," Khan said.
He said that after the Congress government came to power and he became the department's minister, Wakf Adalats were held across the state aimed at removing encroachments.
Noting that 1,12,860 acres of Wakf land were given not by the government, but by private individuals and organisations for the welfare of the community, the minister said encroachments on Wakf property are mostly by the Muslim community itself, not by temples or other communities.
"Encroachments on Wakf land are not by others, they are done by Muslims themselves. Wakf Adalats were held to remove those encroachments, but the BJP made it an issue," he said, adding that encroachment issues are being resolved.
Leader of Opposition R Ashoka intervened and said the BJP's objections were not about removing encroachments by Muslims on Wakf land, but about farmers' land, land belonging to schools such as the one studied by Bharat Ratna Sir M Visvesvaraya, and in some cases land belonging to temples, among others, being claimed as Wakf land.
The BJP is in fact in favour of an investigation into the encroachment of Wakf properties, he said.
Responding to this, the minister clarified that the government is not laying hands on any temples or educational institutions by claiming them as Wakf property.
"To identify encroachments by private people, mostly Muslims, Wakf Adalats were held," he added.
