Delhi gurdwara body writes to govt to ensure steady LPG supply for 'langars'
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Committee on Friday sought the petroleum minister's help in ensuring a steady supply of LPG cylinders to ensure the 'langar' (community kitchen) service continues without fail.
In a letter to Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, the DSGMC said the war in West Asia has affected the langar service across gurdwaras for want of LPG because its supply has been "stopped" by the gas agencies.
A DSGMC office-bearer said that although there is a piped natural gas supply in bigger gurdwaras, the smaller ones depend on LPG cylinders for running the langar kitchens.
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The DSGMC is a statutory body established under the Delhi Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1971, that looks after the religious matters of Sikhs and the upkeep of gurdwaras in the city.
The body looks after the management of several bigger gurdwaras in the national capital, including Sheesh Ganj Sahib, Rakabganj, and Bangla Sahib, where food is served to thousands of people every day.
The letter was signed by DSGMC president Harmeet Singh Kalka and general secretary Jagdip Singh Kahlon.
As a result of the war-fuelled LPG crisis, several restaurants and small eateries across Delhi have temporarily halted operations over the past few days.
From neighbourhood cafes to roadside eateries, operators say the disruption has slowed or forced some establishments to shut temporarily, while others are trying to stretch the limited gas supplies they have left.
The Delhi government on Thursday assured people that the supply of LPG, petrol, diesel, and piped natural gas in the city was normal, and urged them to refrain from panic buying or hoarding.
A statement from the Chief Minister's Office said that there was no scarcity of fuel and officials were carrying out rigorous inspections to curb black-marketing and hoarding of LPG cylinders.
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Explosive device kills 13, injures 38 on bus in southwestern Colombia as violence persists
Bogota (Colombia) (PTI): An explosive device killed 13 people travelling on a bus in southwestern Colombia on Saturday, an attack the country's army chief described as a “terrorist act" that also left at least 38 injured as violence linked to drug trafficking in the region escalates.
Octavio Guzman, the governor of the region of Cauca, said on X that the device was set off while the bus was travelling along the Panamerican Highway in the municipality of Cajibio. Five children were among the injured, Cauca Health Secretary Carolina Camargo told Noticias Caracol, a TV news program.
Gen. Hugo Lopez, commander of Colombia's Armed Forces, told a news conference that it was a “terrorist act" and blamed the network of a man known as “Ivan Mordisco” — one of Colombia's most wanted figures — and the Jaime Martínez faction. Both are dissidents of the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia that operate in the region.
Neither Ivan Mordisco nor the Jaime Martínez faction abide by the peace agreement signed with the state in 2016.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the attack on X.
“Those who carried out the attack and killed seven civilians — and wounded 17 others — in Cajibío — many of them Indigenous people — are terrorists, fascists, and drug traffickers,” he wrote.
The attack is the latest in a spate of explosions that have attempted to target public infrastructure. At least 26 incidents have taken place in the past two days in southwestern Colombia, which Lopez said have only affected civilians.
They included a shooting at a police station in the rural area of Jamundi, and an attack on a Civil Aviation radar facility in El Tambo, where authorities took down three explosives-laden drones earlier on Saturday. No one was hurt.
On Friday, two vehicles rigged with explosives were detonated near military units in Cali and Palmira, causing material damage.
The escalation of violence in that region — a territory contested by illegal armed groups linked to drug trafficking — prompted the mobilisation of high-ranking officials on Saturday. Led by Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez, the delegation that includes regional governors and local authorities, was meeting in Palmira when the deadly explosion occurred.
“These criminals seek to instil fear, but we will respond with firmness,” Sanchez said on X.
Meanwhile, Francisca Toro, governor of Valle del Cauca, has called upon the national government to provide “immediate support.” In a message on X, Toro called for a reinforcement of public security forces, enhanced intelligence operations and “decisive actions” against crime in the face of a “terrorist-level escalation.”
According to authorities, Cauca and Valle del Cauca serve as a critical hub for illicit activities of illegal armed groups vying for control over sea and river access routes leading to the port of Buenaventura — a key transit point used to traffic drugs to Central America and Europe.
The government has also offered a reward of more than 1 million dollars for information leading to the capture of “Marlon,” who is identified as the leader of the region's dissident group. On Friday, local authorities offered more than USD 14,000 for information leading to the identification and location of those behind the attacks in Cali and Palmira.
